Star Trek: Apokalypto
by Winkle
Summary: Witness the birth and death of the Federation. (PLEASE R&R) - News Updated Jul 28,2004
1. Introduction

**STAR TREK  
Apokalypto**

Written by Lewis (Winkle)  


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**News Updated May 14/05 - Scroll Below to Read**

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**Introduction**

This is the introduction page. It will provide you with some basic background information necessary for reading this piece of fiction. It is highly recommended that you read through this page before you proceed. The next chapter is the first chapter of the fiction. This is my first ever fan fiction, so I would like to thank everyone who reads this, and I sincerely hope that you enjoy it.

i) This fiction will use a number of references from the Star Trek television series, including Enterprise, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager. It is suggested that you have some knowledge of these series to fully appreciate and understand the story. There will also be some references from a few of the Star Trek movies, especially Star Trek: Insurrection and Star Trek: Nemesis. Also added are references from some of the Star Trek video games, most notably characters from the Star Trek: Elite Force series of games.

ii) This fiction will feature two stories, one set in the Enterprise era and one just 2 years after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis. This was the best way to fit in the cast from both The Next Generation and Enterprise time periods. There will be two distinct stories; however their connection will be shown. Also a note to Enterprise fans, I will warn you now that this fiction is primarily a TNG one. The Enterprise plot is almost a subplot but it is still important, just warning that its more focused on the TNG crew.

iii) This fiction was written prior to the start of Season 3 of Enterprise. Therefore, all references used from the television show Enterprise will only go up until the end of Season 2. Slight change of things here though. Now that Enterprise has officially ended (or was killed), I will be incorporating a few things from Seasons 3 and 4 into here but not many. In terms of canonical references I'll limit myself to the first 2 seasons since I'm more familiar with them. Some major plot points, such as the deaths of Admiral Forrest and SPOILER Trip are excluded. These two characters happens to be integral to my fiction so I need them alive. Also on a brighter note, I'm completely ignoring "These are the Voyages..." and will pretend that it never happened. But don't kill me if some things pop up that conflicts with something from seasons 3 and 4 but I will do my best to stay within those guidelines.

iv) The time frame throughout the story is very important. Since there is no actual set universal system for Stardates, I will be using the current calendar system. This will make the plot less confusing and easier to follow. There will be no mention of Stardates in this fiction.

v) I welcome feedback! Please, if you read this, write a review. If you see an error or something to pick at, knock yourself out. I want to make this a great piece of fiction, and I can only do it with everyone's help.

vi) I apologize if the chapters seem a bit long, I know they are. But I think its worth the time and effort to read through the chapters... at least I think it is.

vii) Please check this introduction page every so often, as I may update it and make additions to it as I see fit.

viii) On the suggestion of a reviewer I will credit a few sources of inspiration for this piece of fan fiction. I drew quite a bit of inspiration from the Xenosaga and Metal Gear Solid series of video games. However I have always wanted to write something with an absurb amount of Biblical references so that aspect and Xenosaga (being heavy on Biblical references) is just a coincidence. But fans of these series will probably see some familiar elements that I borrowed. But I am trying to hard to be original and creative.

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**Updates**

**- Sept 5/03 - **  
Thanks to everyone who has read my work so far, your response is much appreciated, and keep them coming! As recommended, I have gone back and made a number of spelling and grammar corrections to both Chapters 1 and 2. I have uploaded their updated versions now, Chapter 3 should be coming soon.

**- May 3/04 - **  
My apologies for my absence for the last err... 8 months! Been very busy with school and all so I had no time to tend to this thing... and I honestly forgot about it completely until just a few hours ago. However I am not abandoning it, and I'm going to start working on this fiction again. But at the same time I am going to kind of start from scratch... going over the chapters I have already written, I wasn't satisfied with the quality so I am going to re-do them, mostly split the existing chapters into shorter chapters and re-writting parts of them. So please be patient while I overhaul my existing work and start construction on new material, and no worries about me disappearing for another 8 months this time... my summer has started and I don't really have anything better to do... yet.

**- May 7/04 - **  
A couple of minor changes. I just discovered this new QuickEdit feature for its not bad but I'm still getting used to it. At least it lets me format my chapters properly. As such I reformatted the first chapter, but there's no new material there, so if you've already read it you can skip it. Also I uploaded the 2nd chapter last night. Enjoy! Chapters 3 and 4 will be coming soon. Again, if you read please review... I could always use some constructive criticism. Thanks.

**- Jun 23/04 -**  
First, my apologies to everyone for the lack of updates over the past three weeks. I've simply been away for awhile... after all, it is my summer vacation. I am sorry to say that my fiction completely slipped my mind and I literally forgot about it this past month. Only did I check my email and saw some reader reviews did I remember that I had a fiction to write! So, thank you to everyone for your supportive and kind words, I will do my best not to let you down and go into a frenzied-writing-mode. Expect more chapters to come out over the next few days! Oh, and if I "disappear" again, please give me a kick in the butt and tell me to get writing!

**- Jul 28/04 -  
** Thank you everyone for the kind words and comments you've posted, they're much appreicated and is a great motivation for me. There's no worries of me abandoning my efforts here as long as I've got the time and energy to keep writing, but it's also nice to know people are reading and appreciating my work. So thanks again.**  
** Now onto the second issue, the question of the fate of the Defiant (DS9). While the _original _U.S.S. Defiant was indeed destroyed in the Chintoka System in the Dominion War, the crew did survive by abandoning ship in time, and Starfleet promptly replaced the U.S.S. Defiant with the U.S.S. Sao Paulo and renamed it Defiant. So technically the Defiant still lives, much like how there are 5 or 6 Enterprises now. The only difference is that the new Defiant doesn't have a cloaking device. I hope that clears things up.

**- May 14/05 -  
**So I'm back again. Enjoying yet another summer, figured I'll get back to working on this thing now that I have more free time. At this rate I'm not going to be done for a few more years, hope not. But its getting to be a habit/cycle, its like my only fiction-writing season dealy. Anyway I'll try to get as much as I can done this summer, who knows I might finally finish this thing and it only took me 2 years!  
Small note, added a few notes on this page and I finally did some real editing work on Chapter 15 and made some changes (grammar errors and added in a few new lines or modified some old ones). Starting work on Chapter 16 now, expect it to pop up within a few days.  
And this QuickEdit thing is still driving me nuts. I rue for the day when they can get this thing to format properly!

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**************Summary**

Witness the birth and death of the Federation.

The Romulan War was a time of bloodshed and conflict. Follow Captain Jonathan Archer in his struggle with the Romulans that will lead to a united humanity, and as he witnesses the conception of a terrible secret that may one day destroy it.

In the future, the Federation is in turmoil as civil war threatens to destroy the greatest achievement of mankind. Captain Jean-Luc Picard, along with Captain William Riker and Admiral Kathryn Janeway must embark on their final and greatest adventure to save not only humanity, but the entire galaxy.

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******************Disclaimer**

Star Trek et al is Copyright Paramount Pictures 2003/04.  
No Copyright infringement is intended and this fiction is for personal use only.  
All of the above classes of star ships and some of the named ships are copyright Paramount 2003/04.


	2. I: The Beginning

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- ONE -  
The Beginning  


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- December 4th, 2155 -  


The void of space is an incredible sight, a giant black canvas dotted with stars streaking across the porthole only to disappear into the oblivion as fast as it had first appeared. It was a magnificent view, one that no one could truly ever get used to. Captain John Clayton continued to stare at the window for a few more seconds, before finally shifting his eyes back down to the monitor displaying the ship's daily report. _Same old junk._ He thought to himself, nothing unusual again. The ship is running smoothly as expected, and the only "exciting" thing they have run into the past week was a pulsar that's now more than six light-years behind them. He could have never pictured it as being this way. _I'm 38 years old and all I do is run around the galaxy scanning pulsars._ When Starfleet Command offered him the Atlantis, he thought he had lucked out. Now six months since their launch, they've yet to encounter anything that's even worth writing up about. Of course, that can be a good thing. But the mission was getting too relaxing. Clayton liked to keep himself alert and sharp... this is a far cry from his expectations.

The last words of the report trickled from the screen and into his brain, giving himself a few seconds to process and digest what he just read. _Well, that's the last of that for today._ His eyes shifted once more, this time from the screen to the chronometer off in the corner of his desk. It was surprisingly late. Clayton stretched his arms, and pushed himself out of the chair. _I suppose its time for me to turn in._ He started towards his bunk, but he stopped dead when a though slipped into this mind. _Better check up on the bridge first._ Clayton moved to the intercom and just as he was about the push the call button, a familiar beep emitted from the intercom's speakers. Instinctively his hand pushed the answer button before he even realized he was being called. A familiar voice crackled from the intercom. 

"Captain, sorry to disturb you at this hour." Clayton allowed himself a quiet sigh. 

"That's alright Pete, what is it?" Clayton replied into the intercom. 

"It's probably nothing sir, but we're getting some strange fluctuations on the sensors." 

"Did you check the equipment?" Even though Starfleet crew are thoroughly trained, sometimes even the best of them forget that the correct answer is usually the simplest one. 

"Of course sir, first thing I did. Nothing wrong with the sensors, I'm running a diagnostic on the computers just in case... but nothing's turned up so far." Clayton stood there as he thought for a moment. Chances are, the kid was right, might be a small glitch or sensor ghost. But they're very far out from charted space, it's probably best to play it safe. 

"Okay Pete keep it running, I'm on my way up." Clayton received an acknowledgement as he headed out the door. _There goes my quiet night._

The Atlantis, registry NX-04 continued to cut through space at a brisk pace of Warp 3. The ship is only six months old, launched from dry-dock orbiting Earth. As the fourth ship of its class, she was nothing special. Other ships in the fleet, such as the Enterprise became quite renowned for its accomplishments against the Xindi two years ago. Hopefully, in time the Atlantis will develop its own reputation, something Clayton has dreamed of in the last few months. 

The lift doors parted, revealing the Atlantis' bridge. It was in excellent condition, the light reflected brightly off the surfaces of the console. One can tell that she hasn't seen too much action. 

"Report." Clayton ordered as he strolled towards the navigation console situated at the very front of the bridge, directly forward of the captain's chair. 

"Those fluctuations are getting worst sir... but sensors have pinned it as an outside source… just a few thousand meters off the Atlantis' bow." Clayton lifted an eyebrow, indicating that his interest has definitely been perked. 

"Outside? Can you locate the source?" 

"Sorry I'm trying to sir, but that's just the best I can do in warp... but it's definitely from around there outside the ship." Pete said without taking his eye away from his console for a single second. Clayton turned back to his chair, and switched on the bridge's intercom. 

"Bridge to Engine room." The response came exactly three seconds later. 

"Engine room, Lieutenant Stevens here." Lieutenant Sarah Stevens is the deputy-chief Engineer. 

"Sarah, its Captain Clayton. We're picking up some fluctuations from outside the ship, just checking to see if there's anything wrong with the engines." 

"Not a thing far as I know. According to the computer, the system's working like clock work. Do you want me to do a diagnostic?" Clayton again lapsed into concentration. 

"Just do a check; we'll see how things turn out first." 

"Acknowledged sir, I'll report in when we're done." A click indicated that the line has been cut. 

"Sir, I think we can get a better reading if we dropped out of warp. I think the warp drive is interfering with our sensors. And we'll only need to stop for a few minutes." Pete said, this time lifting his head from his console for a few seconds. _It's probably nothing._ Clayton reminded himself. _But yet, it's better safe then sorry._ Clayton nodded, giving the approval. 

"Do it." 

The Atlantis dropped out of warp. Almost immediately, the many streaks of light created by the surrounding stars changed back into brightly-lit dots. Inside the bridge, Pete frowned. 

"Captain, you're not going to believe this... but sensors are picking up two separate sources of fluctuations from outside the ship." This completely caught Clayton's attention as he moved forward again to Pete's console. What would happen next would catch him completely off guard. 

"Sir! Those fluctuations are spiking massively!" Before anyone could respond two green vessels rippled into existence besides the Atlantis, one on each flank. It only took a split-second for Clayton to recall the images he saw in a Starfleet report. 

"Damn, Romulans!" He muttered before he could control himself. He quickly turned to his communications officer, but he lost the race, getting cut off before he could say anything. 

"Captain, we are receiving a transmission from the Romulan ships." Without waiting for an order, he flipped a switch, activating the numerous speakers sewn throughout the bridge. Immediately, a brooding voice thundered in the small room. 

"Human vessel, you have trespassed into the sovereign space of the Romulan Star Empire. Power down your vessel immediately and prepare to be boarded. You will be given no further warnings." _Damn! How the hell did we ever stray into Romulan territory?_ By this point, Clayton's brain was firing on all cylinders; he had to defuse this situation quickly. The Romulans are not known for their hospitality. 

"Jake, send a message to the Romulans... tell them we didn't know that we were transp..." But before he could finish the sentence, the entire ship rocked violently, throwing Clayton into his chair. 

"Sir, the Romulans have opened fire!" Pete yelled. 

"Damn! They didn't even wait... battle stations! Polarize the hull!" Clayton ordered quickly as the ship buckled under a second volley. Outside, the two Romulan cruisers attacked relentlessly. One shot struck the Atlantis' primary power relay, igniting a large explosion and ripping a hole in the dorsal portion of the hull. In response, the bridge's lights dimmed for two seconds before the emergency power systems kicked in. 

"Captain, we've lost primary power... we can't polarize the hull plating!" Pete reported desperately, Clayton could see fear creeping into the young officer's eyes. The ship rocked again. 

"Bridge! What the hell is going on?" Sarah's voice blasted over the intercom speakers. 

"A little trouble with the Romulans..." Clayton started. Another hit, another explosion. Thick, arid-smoke began to fill the bridge. Clayton let out a cough. 

"That last hit just knocked out our warp drive!" Sarah's voice continued to blare over the intercom. "We can't keep this up!" She continued as the ship shook violently yet again. This time Clayton could hear a large explosion ring out from the intercom. 

"Sarah? Respond... Bridge to Engineering?" Clayton shouted into the intercom. 

"Engineering section's been hit! I'm reading hull breaches on multiple decks!" Jake screamed, but his voice was barely audible. 

"Damn these bastards to hell! If we can't run, we'll fight!" Clayton turned to the weapons console, which was unmanned. _Where the hell is Robert?_ Without hesitation, Clayton jumped over the console and began pushing buttons. 

"Pete! Move us into a better firing position!" Clayton yelled. The Atlantis struggled and limped forward as she unleashed two of her phase cannons on the nearest Romulan cruiser. Two thick beams of fiery orange struck out from the Atlantis and hit her target. 

"They have shields!" Pete yelled back. The Romulan cruiser moved past the Atlantis, putting some distance between the two so she can prepare for another attack run. The Atlantis at the same time launched a pair of photonic torpedoes, hitting the Romulan ship squarely in the back. In retaliation the cruiser splat several bolts of green energy, hitting the Atlantis' starboard nacelle. The result was a spectacular explosion that threw the Atlantis into a spin while leaving behind a debris trail composed of the nacelle's remains.

"We just lost one of our nacelles, secondary power failure! Casualties reporting in from all decks!" Clayton heard Jake yell as he picked himself up from the floor of the bridge. He felt a sting on his left arm and saw a small stream of blood flowing from his hand. 

"Jake... send a distress signal to Starfleet..." Clayton wasn't even sure if Jake had heard his order as another blast knocked him back to the floor. He could barely keep his eyes open or even breathe as the room continued to be overwhelmed with smoke. He struggled to get back on his feet, but his arms simply refused to work. He thought he heard Pete screaming as another hit rocked the Atlantis, this time turning out the lights on the bridge for good. _This was not how it was supposed to turn out..._

The Atlantis floats dead in space. Superheated plasma vented out of hundreds of holes in her hull like dark, red, blood. There is nothing left of her starboard nacelle, just a damaged and charred pylon which serves as a testament of what once stood there. The two Romulan cruisers pulled away then circled around for a final run. They were not scavengers, waiting for its prey to die. Instead, they preferred to quickly put their victims out of their misery. As the two ships returned into firing range, they pounded the Atlantis' battered hulk with a barrage of green death. Finally, unable to take the pounding any longer, the Atlantis gave way. The explosion was a symphony of colour, a bright display of fireworks that only lasted mere seconds as the vacuum of space choked the fire out of existence. The two Romulan ships then altered their course as if nothing had happened. And then like ghosts, faded into the blackness of the void.

_To Be Continued..._


	3. II: An Old Friend

**- TWO -  
An Old Friend**

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- November 30th, 2380 - 

The year is 2380. The United Federation of Planets is experiencing a recent surge of turmoil. All is not well. Although the Dominion War ended 5 years ago, suspicion and fear continue to flow freely throughout the Federation. The peace established has once again become a fragile entity. One day, a mysterious package was delivered to the Federation Council. In it contained evidence of negotiations held between the Tal'Shiar and Starfleet Intelligence. In exchange for samples of Captain Jean-Luc Picard's genetic material, the Romulans offered Starfleet an experimental weapon capable of enormous power. Yet, the identity of this weapon was strangely erased from the records, and thus remained a mystery. 

Outraged and shocked by this development, a paranoid-stricken Federation Council immediately took action. Even though there was nothing to prove the authenticity of the recording, there was also nothing to indicate that it was not real. A Federation devastated by war could take no chances, and in a tense vote the Council elected to handle the matter by removing a number of officials from Starfleet Command. Thus, began what is known as, The Great Purge. 

The Purge dramatically increased tensions between the two entities. A number of Starfleet captains voiced their anger in protest, calling the Federation an unjust and corrupt organization. In the ensuing days, several Starfleet vessels mysteriously disappeared, despite all attempts by Starfleet Command to locate them. Rumours began to circulate that these ships had fled to create a new militant force, whose purpose would be to overthrow the Federation. 

In the midst of this chaos, Admiral Kathryn Janeway received an unexpected promotion due to the lack of officers remaining in Starfleet Command. Doing her best to keep tensions from boiling over, she maintained the fragile relationship that remained between the Federation and Starfleet. In an attempt to put to rest the incriminating evidence that threatened the peace in the first place, she summoned Captain Jean-Luc Picard back to Earth. It is hoped that his presence, and years of diplomatic experience can keep the Federation from the brink of civil war. 

This was all in Picard's mind as he exited the turbolift that had deposited him on the proper deck. Admiral Janeway's desperate summon had arrived only the day before, without hesitation he ordered the Enterprise-E to return to Earth at best speed. Even then the trip would take just over a week alone; he was heading to Deep Space Nine to help celebrate Bajor's entry into the Federation. But what worried him the most would be everyone's obvious question. How did Picard's genetic material end up on the dealing table? For one, that might go further to explain why the Romulans had it in the first place. The thought of Shinzon sent a chill down his spine. It was something he did not want to think about ever again. 

The past two years hasn't been exactly... picturesque for him. After the whole incident with Shinzon, Jean-Luc lost four members of his family. Riker and Deanna had gone to take command of the Titan; Beverly decided to return to Starfleet Medical. And B4... he handed him over to Starfleet Command who promised to do all they can for him. But since that day, he hasn't heard a thing. By now, he has come to term with Data's "death", although it still hurts him some at the thought of loosing a great friend. 

Picard let out a sigh. He was tired as he walked down the ship's empty corridor. At this hour, there were few crew members still up and about. He continued his short trek towards his quarters when his stride was interrupted by a familiar chime. 

"Madden to Captain Picard." The voice came from a hidden speaker in the corridor. 

"Picard here, what is it Commander?" 

"Sorry to disturb you sir, I just thought you'll like to know that we passed a Federation convoy consisting of four ships a few minutes ago." Picard decided to let his commander continue. "One of the ships in the convoy is the U.S.S. Midway, she replied to our hails with an automated message stating they were on a priority mission for Starfleet." _Automated? Now that was a bit odd._

"And the other vessels?" Picard inquired. 

"Nothing sir. I checked with Starfleet Command however, and they confirmed the convoy's on a classified mission. I'm sorry to have bothered you about this sir, but with the way things are going around here, I thought you should be aware of any unusual activity." Picard had to agree with Madden's logic, the situation was very tense and it was best to be on top of everything that's going on. 

"Thank you Commander, I'll make a note of it." Madden acknowledged and ended the conversation. Picard made a mental note to check with Janeway about this "classified" mission and resumed his journey. Picard continued down the corridor a short way before making a swift turn into his cabin, cloaked in a veil of darkness. 

"Computer, lights." He muttered without giving it a second thought. Nothing happened. _Don't tell me those damned things are broken again._

"Computer..." Picard started, but the shadow of a figure sitting on the sofa caught his attention. He swiftly tapped the communications badge pinned to the chest of his uniform. 

"Picard to security..." But before he could even finish, a strangely familiar voice cut him off. 

"Don't bother mon capitaine." Picard was startled, and it took a few moments for the words to sink in, but once they did he knew at once who it was. And he found it difficult to hold back his annoyance. 

"Q... what the devil are you doing here?" The figure rose from the seat and moved forward from the shadows. It was indeed Picard's old nemesis, fully dressed in Starfleet attire complete with the Captain's pips and his trademark grin. 

"Why Jean-Luc, I was expecting a warmer reception than that." Q replied, sounding quite serious. Picard moved off towards his desk. "After all, it's been what... 10 of your years since I've paid you a visit?" Picard turned towards his replicator. 

"Tea, Earl Grey, hot." The computer responded as a china cup spewing steam materialized from thin air in the replicator. Q stood directly in front of Picard's desk, still wearing his smirk. Finally Picard replied. 

"What do you want?" It was almost more of an annoyed grunt. Q's grinned expanded. 

"Just a friendly visit for an old friend." Picard's stare could have frozen a deer in its tracks. "You know Jean-Luc, in all the time we have known each other, I have never told you something. 

"I am just dying to know." Picard answered. 

"Your sarcasm is wholly unnecessary here." Q continued, "But I've always had a... certain respect for you." This caught Picard off-guard, as his face indicated. 

"Don't be so surprised. You have passed my trials time and again, and you're the only one who even comes close to matching my incredible wit." Before Picard could speak, Q cut him off with a wave of his hand. "But I'm not here just to tell you that; certainly would be a waste of time for the both of us." 

"For once Q, I agree with you on something." Q reared his head in laughter. "Ha! That's exactly what I'm talking about Jean-Luc." Q pointed to Picard. 

"But to the point. I'm here to deliver a warning... to you." Picard frowned. Q shook his head. "Don't give me that look. I'm here to do a good deed for once, and I think you should appreciate it." 

"So, what is this warning then?" Picard's patience was thinning. Q leaned closer, and spoke in a hush tone.

"You, capitaine, are about to face the greatest trial of your life..." Picard frowned, and once again Q held up his hand. "Give me a chance to finish; you'll be grateful to me one day." Now it was Picard's turn to laugh. But Q's tone remained the same. 

"Everything you have faced before will be nothing compared to what is about to happen. This trial, it is not a trial of humanity... it's not even a trial of you, Picard. This is a trial for all life in this galaxy. And it is up to you capitaine, if this galaxy survives or not." Although Picard was skeptical, Q definitely had his attention now. 

"As a personal favour, I will give you a clue. Apokalypto... find out what that means Jean-Luc, and perhaps you will be able to complete your ultimate accomplishment." Picard started to speak, but once again Q cut him off. 

"That's all I can tell you. The rest is up to you. Take heed, because there are dangerous times ahead." 

"And you're doing all this as a favour?" 

"Hard to believe isn't it?" Q grinned again as he took a step back. "You might be able to thank me one day. It's been quite a ride, you won't have to worry about me bothering you again though, this will be my last visit and the last time you will ever see me again." Q flashed one last smile. "Au revoir mon capitaine." And with one quick snap of his fingers, Q vanished for the last time.

_To Be Continued..._


	4. III: Distress Signals

**- THREE -  
Distress Signals**

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- December 6th, 2155 -  


Beep.

_ What?_

Beep.

_ Damn._ Ensign Hoshi Sato shook herself out of her day dreaming. It has been an uneventful shift once again. She turned to the blinking light on her communications console. A few more flicks of a couple of buttons and the purpose of the communications alert was revealed to her. _A priority transmission from Starfleet Command?_ Well, at least something was happening Hoshi thought to herself as she paged Captain Jonathan Archer. The reply did not come for almost half a minute.

"Archer here." Hoshi thought she detected a slight presence of annoyance in her captain's voice.

"I'm sorry to bother you captain but we just received a priority one transmission from Starfleet Command." Priority One transmissions were for captains only. 

"That's alright Hoshi, I guess I'll just have to cut my shower short." This time, she let herself smile as she picked up some sarcasm.

"I'll patch it through to your quarters." Hoshi replied, Archer acknowledged her and cut off the intercom. 

_ So, I wonder what this is all about... a priority one transmission doesn't happen every day._ Maybe things will brighten up for the Enterprise's dull life again. 

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- December 3rd, 2380 -

The U.S.S. Enterprise-E, NCC-1701-E continued to thunder through space like an overpowered beast. Her twin nacelles glowed brightly while being fed energy by the roaring Warp Core. The ship's velocity mutated the surrounding stars from sprinkles into long streaks as their light tried and failed to keep up. Meanwhile, inside, the crew of the flagship of the United Federation of Planets worked busily. Commander Geordi LaForge occupied himself with the display in front of him, the ship has been running at maximum warp for several days now and her engines are truly being pushed to the limits. Although he wished he could ask his captain to not strain his engines so much, he knew it was imperative that they return to Earth as quickly as possible. Geordi, like most crew members, did not know the full facts behind the current situation in the Federation. Captain Picard has kept his senior staff briefed on a daily basis, but even then they still can't attain a complete picture of what's going on.

Geordi took a step back and conducted a quick scan around the room. His crew is worn; they have been working incredible hours to keep the engines in running condition. He too was feeling the wear and tear of the last few days, but as Chief Engineer, he had no choice but to slug it out. Besides, he knew his captain was probably in worst shape. Although he can't be sure, from his briefings, it looks like Picard hasn't gotten any sleep in the last couple of days. He knew the crisis was bothering the captain, but he also had a feeling that something else was gnawing at him. _Too bad Deanna isn't here anymore._ Well, he wasn't a Betazoid, so the best thing he can do for his captain is to keep the ship running and get him back to the heart of the Federation as quickly as possible. With that thought, Geordi returned his attention to the display.

Indeed, Jean-Luc Picard has not had any proper rest in the last three days. Anyone on the bridge would have no difficulty telling so. His first officer has tried several times to get him to take some rest, even threatening to bring the ship's doctor into the picture. But each time, he simply brushed the concerned commander off. He wanted sleep, but what Q had told him deeply disturbed him and he could not get it out of his mind. Commander Madden was also present on the bridge, sitting in his seat next to his captain. He has been there for a considerable amount of time as well; ready to take command whenever his captain decided that he wasn't a bionic man, but that would not come anytime soon. The officer occupying the tactical station, Alex Munroe swivelled in his chair to face the two commanding officers.

"Captain, I've received an acknowledgement from Starfleet Command. Admiral Janeway is ready to take your call." It took almost a full second before the words sank in; when it did Picard simply nodded.

"Thank you Lieutenant, I'll take it in my ready room." Picard responded. He then stood up, gave his shirt a firm pull and marched directly to his ready room.  


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- December 6th, 2155 -

The entire command crew of the Enterprise stood around the display table located in the back of the bridge. This was essentially their meeting area. Present were Captain Jonathan Archer, Commander Charles "Trip" Tucker, Sub-Commander T'Pol, Lieutenant Malcolm Reed, Ensign Travis Mayweather, and Hoshi herself. Archer stood at the end of the table, quiet and deep in thought. The others continued to wait in silence. Finally, after another minute Doctor Phlox arrived.

"I'm terribly sorry, but I had to feed my slugs before I came up here... they're on a very strict eating cycle. A slight disruption could kill them." Phlox said as he settled in beside Hoshi. The two exchanged smiles while Reed gave away a small smirk in response to Phlox's slugs.

"That's alright doctor." Archer began; he had a rather grim look on his face. 

"So, what's this little gathering about captain?" Trip spoke first, Archer nodded in reply.

"I'll get right to the point." Archer looked up and made eye contact with everyone. "Admiral Forrest has just informed me that Starfleet Command has lost all contact with our sister-ship, the Atlantis." Before anyone could cut in, Archer continued. "Two days ago, a Boomer ship picked up a fragmented distress signal and relayed it to Starfleet. They believe that the signal was from the Atlantis."

"Did the Admiral send us a recording?" Trip asked.

"Yes. But you wouldn't want to hear it." Archer replied, still with the grim look attached to his face. "All attempts to contact the Atlantis have failed, and her last known location was System JH-13."

"Uncharted?" This time Mayweather spoke up. Archer nodded once again in confirmation.

"The Atlantis was on a charting mission. That entire area is unknown space." Archer looked around at his crew again. From their faces, he knew they were aware of what was coming. "We have been ordered by Starfleet Command to head to System JH-13 and locate the Atlantis. But since Starfleet believes there may be a hostile force present, they have tasked the Endeavour to accompany us on this mission." T'Pol was already busily punching up calculations.

"From our present location, it will take us four days to rendezvous with the Endeavour, and an additional six days to arrive at System JH-13." T'Pol read out the numbers in a fashion eerily similar to a computer.

"We have ten days than." Archer added up the numbers. He then proceeded to assign each person specific tasks to carry out in preparation for the mission. The entire crew quickly acknowledged their designated jobs. He looked around at his crew one more time, feeling some pride at their professionalism before dismissing them to their duties.

"Alright people, let's go find our lost ship."  


* * *

- December 3rd, 2380 - 

The small view screen responded to Picard's entry into the ready room by rising itself out of its nest inside the desk. When he was comfortably settled in his chair, he pushed a small button located in front of the screen to activate the transmission. He was greeted by a smiling Admiral Kathryn Janeway.

"Jean-Luc, you look awful." Picard gave up a small grin himself, but he could clearly make up the bags under her eyes.

"Admiral, you should be the one to speak." Her smile also briefly broadened. "But to the point, I need to ask you about a certain ship that we passed by two days ago." Janeway's reaction startled him.

"Is it about the Midway?" She quickly replied. Obviously, she had been expecting it. Picard nodded. "Captain, I'm sorry I haven't been able to answer your calls earlier, things have been hell lately. But to be honest, I'm not really answering your call, I was looking for you." This puzzled the captain slightly.

"What I'm telling you, of course, is classified material." She allowed a break for the words to completely sink in. "The U.S.S. Midway was transporting arrested Starfleet officers to a star-base for trial. Tensions are high enough as it is, so we kept it a secret. She was also escorted by the Amazon, Vanquish and the Wolverine. She last reported in yesterday, and has failed to do so since then. We've lost all contact with her."

"You want us to find her?" It was a rhetorical question. 

"Yes. The closest vessel to her last known location is the Illustrious captained by Jeff Williams. I've also dispatched him there, he should arrive first. But I want you to go and back him up." 

"Of course and what does the Federation Council think of this?" 

"They don't know about this... yet." Janeway sighed. "The situation is bad enough as it is. The council's already panicked before and they're even more jumpy with the recent wave of disappearing ships, we can't afford to let that happen again. If they do, it'll destroy whatever ties are left between the Federation and Starfleet. It could lead to a civil war Jean-Luc." He understood. "Hopefully we can clear this mess up before the council knows about it. It's important that you find the Midway quickly." It sounded as if Janeway was almost begging.

"That's a rather large gamble, but I'll do my best Kathryn." Picard promised, he hoped those words meant something.

"I know you will. I'm sending you the coordinates." Before she could finish Picard cut her off.

"I have one more favour to ask of you Admiral." Picard said, Janeway responded by perking an eyebrow. 

"You may not believe this but our friend Q paid me a visit a few days back." Janeway's facial expression was reply enough.

"Please tell me you're kidding." 

"I only wish. He told me that certain… events are going to happen critical to the survival of the 'galaxy'." Janeway's face sent a signal of disbelief. "I know this is hard to believe but I can't help but take him a little seriously… but before he left he gave me a clue… he simply said 'Apokalypto', and I've scrounged the Enterprise's database without coming up with anything…" Janeway already knew what was coming next.

"And you want me to check out Starfleet's archives to see if I can turn up anything?" Janeway also knew that Picard wanted her to do some searching since her higher rank will allow her access to more restricted materials.

"If you wouldn't mind fitting that into your busy schedule…" Janeway grinned again.

"I'll look into it for you, but I can't promise anything." Picard nodded. "And Jean-Luc, please be careful. No one knows what's going on anymore, and we can't afford to loose you or anyone else now."

"Don't worry I won't let you down, Picard out." Both smiled a last time, and Janeway's face flickered from existence to be replaced by the pitch black screen.

_To Be Continued... _


	5. IV: Unexpected Encounters

**  
- FOUR -****  
Unexpected Encounters**

* * *

****   
- December 16th, 2155 -****

**** "Sir, we're entering System JH-13." Travis reported without peeling his eyes off his console.

"Let's drop out of warp." Archer ordered. A few seconds later, Enterprise along with the Endeavour, NX-03, in tow returned to normal space. Archer immediately felt something in the air that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. _I have a very bad feeling about this._ He turned to his science officer.

**** "Anything on sensors?" Archer inquired; T'Pol simply shook her head in response.

"What about the Endeavour?" Archer turned to Hoshi next who also shook her head.

"They report nothing on sensors." Archer's instincts told him otherwise.

"It's too quiet here…" Archer sort of mumbled to himself, although it was audible to the rest of the bridge crew.

"Hoshi, get Captain Pek on the line." Hoshi responded by pressing several buttons on her console and replying several seconds later.

"Captain Pek on view screen sir." Instantly, the face of a middle-aged Korean Starfleet officer flickered into existence on the bridge's main screen.

"I know what you're thinking Jon, it's too quiet." Captain Pek spoke up immediately, briefly catching Archer off guard at Pek's ability to read his mind. The two have only met once at a Starfleet gala a year ago, but both have great respect for each other as commanding officers.

"My sentiments exactly. We're conducting long-range scans, nothing so far." Pek nodded.

"We're doing the same, my officer informs me it may be a few minutes before the scans can be completed. In the meantime, I recommend we polarize our hulls and ready the weapons… something about this place is making my skin crawl." Pek made no effort at hiding his discomfort.

****"Agreed." Archer turned to Malcolm who was already busying himself.

"Already done Captain."

"Captain." T'Pol interrupted, "Our sensors have detected a faint radiation signature… possibly from a damaged warp core." Archer turned back to the view screen, Pek was also looking back at his science officer before turning back to face the Enterprise's captain.

"My officer is also getting the same readings, but he's not sure whether is from the Atlantis or not."

"We will have to get in closer to conduct a more thorough scan to determine the identity and source of the radiation." T'Pol agreed.

"Well then, I think it's pretty obvious what we have to do next." Archer said, "Travis, plot a course for those coordinates and approach at best speed."

"Yes sir, coordinates set." Travis replied quickly.

"You can take the lead Jon, we'll cover your back."

"Acknowledged." Archer replied before Pek's face disappeared from the view screen. The two identical Starfleet vessels shrugged lazily from their positions, travelling cautiously and hesitantly towards their next destination.

* * *

- December 5th, 2380 - 

"Bridge to Captain Picard." A voice rang out in the dark room.

"What?" Picard startled awake.

"Captain Picard, we're about to arrive at the Titov System." Picard took a second to shake himself completely out of his slumber.

"Thank you Commander, I'm on my way." Picard said as he rose from his chair and headed straight out the door to the dimly-lit bridge. The low lighting indicates a night shift, although Commander Madden has been manning the con because of the sensitivity of this mission.

"Report." Picard ordered before he was even in his chair.

"We're arriving at Titov now… dropping out of warp." Madden replied. The convoy's last known location was in the Titov System.

"The Illustrious?" Picard asked, referring to the other vessel that was supposed to meet and accompany the Enterprise on this mission. This time, it was Alex Munroe, the tactical and chief security officer who replied.

"Scanning… she's orbiting Titov V… and she's hailing us."

"On screen." A second later, Captain William's face flickered on the screen. He was an experienced officer, having worked with Picard on several previous missions. Captain Williams was younger and less experienced then Picard, he also had less patience and tended to be less diplomatic, preferring action over words. However Picard was glad to have him on hand for this mission as Williams is also a talented tactician and is very handy in a combat situation.

"Captain Picard, am I glad you're here. We were all getting a little anxious waiting for your arrival." Williams did not look happy.

"Nice to see you too. What's the situation?"

"Not good. As soon as we arrived in the system, our warp drive failed." Picard was now concerned.

"What happened? Do you want me to send my Chief Engineer over?" Williams deflected the gesture; he was always a lone ranger, preferring to avoid help whenever he could.

"No need, I don't know what happened but my engineer tells me we'll have it back online in a few hours. In the mean time, our subspace communications are being jammed too." Picard looked at Munroe again who nodded in confirmation.

"We didn't notice it until we tried to get word out to Starfleet about our situation." Williams continued, "My officer's never seen it before, thinks its some kind of fancy new jamming technology, pretty effective too… he's had no luck in breaking it."

"Have you located the source?" Williams nodded.

"That we have. Best guess is in the vicinity of Titov II, that's about it. I was going to investigate but I decided to wait for you… two starships is always better then one. I'm sending you the coordinates now."

"Course plotted sir." The helms officer said before Picard could even give the order.

"Let's get to it Captain." Williams spoke, then his face was replaced again by that of a star-field. Picard gave it one more look before issuing the order.

"Engage."

* * *

- December 16th, 2155 - 

"Captain, we're within visual range." Travis spoke, breaking the long silence held on the bridge. Archer nodded in approval. The view screen flickered to life, although the crew had braced for it, the scene still stunned them. Before them was the wreckage of the Atlantis. The shards of twisted and blackened metal that once formed the vessel were too numerous to count, Archer could even make out the corpses of those who must have been blown out into space from hull breaches. He didn't have to ask the question; T'Pol read his mind and informed the crew that there were no survivors.

"Sir, Captain Pek on the line." Hoshi spoke. Archer snapped out of his trance, the scene was simply depressing. However relief came when the view changed from that of a graveyard to a more friendly sight.

"We detect no survivors... she went down with all hands." Archer said.

"Damn... I'm really starting to hate this place." Pek emphasised by shaking his head.

"Captain, I have found something you may consider important." Archer turned around to face his science officer, indicating for her to continue. "I have scanned the wreckage of the Atlantis; the weapons signature left on her hull matches those of Romulan disruptors."

"What?" Archer let out a surprised response. From behind him, he could also tell that Pek was shocked as well.

"We're nowhere near their territory." By now, his mind was jogging, thinking back of the time when they had a near-fatal first encounter with the Romulans. But that had happened far away from where they are now.

"Captain, this is uncharted space. We also know very little about the Romulans, their territory could stretch a considerable distance." T'Pol reasoned with him.

"We shouldn't stay long. They may still be in the area." Captain Pek suggested. Archer nodded in agreement, and in a case of perfect-timing, six Romulan cruisers de-cloaked in a circle around the two Starfleet vessels.

"Sir! Six Romulan vessels decloaking... we're surrounded!" Malcolm yelled out from his station. He was followed by Hoshi.

"They're hailing us... audio only sir." She said as the image of Captain Pek on the view screen was replaced by a view of two Romulan ships in front of Enterprise. Archer signalled for Hoshi to open up communications. It was deja vu for the crew as a commanding voice blasted from the bridge's speakers.

"Human vessel, your constant intrusions will no longer be tolerated. You have violated the sovereign space of the Romulan Star Empire for the last time. Your people shall suffer the consequences. Prepare to be destroyed." Archer knew what was coming next; he's had some experience against the Romulans before and made no hesitation in giving out his next command.

"All hands… battle-stations!"

* * *

- December 5th, 2380 - 

The U.S.S. Enterprise, accompanied by the Excelsior-class U.S.S. Illustrious slowly approached the planet Titov II. Picard stood up from his chair, preparing to order a deep scan when to his shock; four Federation starships emerged from the shadows of the planetoid. _What on earth?_

"Mr. Munroe, are there supposed to be other Starfleet vessels out here other then us?" Picard asked. Munroe replied pretty quickly.

"Err… no sir. However, two of those ships are the missing vessels we're looking for." Munroe reported, busily working his console. "Captain, they're hailing us." Picard was greeted by a young and very attractive blonde dressed in Starfleet attire. She spoke first.

"Captain Picard, I'm Captain Lauren Dougherty of the Armia Krajowa starship Concordia." Picard was caught off guard, but he hid his surprise well. But nothing could have prepared him for what was to come. "You will surrender your vessel and prepare to be boarded… failure to comply will result in your destruction…"

_To Be Continued..._  



	6. V: Desperate Retreats

**- FIVE -  
Desperate Retreats**

* * *

********

- December 5th, 2380 -

"Armia Krajowa?"

"That is correct captain. We are dedicated to freeing all life from the tyranny of the Federation." _So, this is where all our missing ships have gone to. _"You're here for the Midway aren't you?" Lauren asked. Picard did not need to answer. "We have already liberated her, and her prisoners. As you can see Captain, some of her escorts have already joined our cause. Perhaps you would like to join us Picard? And be freed from the unjust rule of the Federation?"

"Captain Dougherty, I believe you already know the answer to that." He replied firmly.

"Of course, how foolish of me to question your blind loyalty to the Federation. I believe it is also pointless to ask for your surrender?" Picard simply glared at her. Dougherty shook her head sadly. "I am sorry then; I have no choice but to destroy you. I only wish we could have met under better circumstances Captain, your fame is legendary, let's see if its justified." The transmission was cut. _Damnit!_ Picard quickly pivoted to face Commander Madden to give his next, albeit obvious, order.

"Red alert!"

* * *

- December 16th, 2155 -

"Travis, get us the hell out of here… maximum warp!" Archer yelled. He quickly turned to Hoshi, issuing a second order, "Inform Captain Pek that we're leaving!"

Both the Enterprise and Endeavour manoeuvred out of the circle just as the first volley from the Romulan cruisers reached both ships. They engaged their warp drives almost simultaneously. The dual warp nacelles of both ships lit up for a brief moment as they generated a stable warp field around their respective ships. But instead of disappearing in a streak of light, both ships simply shuttered and remained at sub-light velocities.

"What happened?" Archer inquired, as the bridge shook violently as the Enterprise endures a second salvo of fire.

"One of their ships is generating some sort of energy field that's disrupting our warp drive. They're also jamming our communications." T'Pol replied quickly. The ship rocked again. Malcolm reported that the forward hull polarization was down to 80%.

"Can you pinpoint which ship the jamming is coming from?" Archer asked a busy T'Pol rapidly working her console.

"I believe so Captain." She replied calmly without lifting her head from her console. "But I will need additional time to do so." Archer cursed. _We don't have time!_

"Great, no pressure T'Pol!" The science officer briefly lifted her head up to look at Archer, indicating that she picked up the sarcasm. "Malcolm, give those Romulans everything you've got, coordinate your fire with the Endeavour. We've got to give T'Pol some time!"

* * *

- December 5th, 2380 - 

Immediately after Picard issued his red alert order, the bridge dimmed as all unnecessary lights were shut off and their power re-routed to the ship's defensive systems. Less then a second later, the ship rocked from the first shots fired.

"Evasive manoeuvres! Return fire!" Madden barked out. The sleek Sovereign class ship moved off and avoided a phaser blast, but the two Akira-class ships launched a massive wall of photon torpedoes directly at the Enterprise while the Concordia separated into three ships to attack her from all sides. The Enterprise shrugged off the initial attacks as she unleashed her deadly Type XII phaser arrays on the Akiras. Not too far off, a lone Galaxy kept the Illustrious occupied. The bridge rocked violently again as the ship buckled under another volley of fire, Captain William's face appeared on the Enterprise's view screen.

"Captain! We don't stand a chance against this many ships! Our warp drive is still offline... you have to escape and warn Starfleet!"

"I can't leave you behind!" Picard argued as the bridge rocked violently again. The Enterprise made a devastating pass on one of the Akiras, firing a full volley of quantum torpedoes at close range to collapse her shields while the phaser arrays systemically destroyed her exposed power relays to render the vessel inoperable. In response, the Concordia launched a deadly attack of her own, bringing the Enterprise's shields down to 60%.

"Damnit, you don't have a choice Jean-Luc! One of us has to warn Starfleet, and you're the only one who can do it!" Picard did not reply, because he knew Williams was right. "Now go! I'll keep them busy so they can't follow you!" Picard gripped the arm-rest of his chair tightly as he ordered the ship to warp. The Enterprise made one last run, disabling a second Akira in a brilliant display of fire works before she disappeared into warp. On the bridge of the Concordia, Captain Lauren Dougherty smiled.

* * *

- December 16th, 2155 -

"Captain! I have located the ship!" T'Pol yelled, almost excitedly.

"I have her locked on sir!" Reed yelled out next, he was definitely excited. Archer sprang into action.

"Hoshi, order the Endeavour to target all her fire on that ship!" He ordered as the Enterprise suffered another hit. The Romulans paired off into three groups, hitting both Starfleet vessels from all sides. The Enterprise moved in between one formation and unleashed its phase cannons and torpedoes on the Romulan ship disrupting their warp drive. Although she scored two direct hits, the rest of the attacks were blocked by another Romulan cruiser covering its team mate, the shields on their ships did not help matters either.

"We've got to bring down that ship's shields!" Malcolm reported, by this time smoke had begun to overwhelm the bridge and sparks showered those struggling from being thrown from their stations. Archer had an idea pop into his head.

"Hoshi, tell the Endeavour to cover us on our next run. Malcolm, I want you to overload the phase cannons on the next volley. I don't care if they won't work after that; just give them everything we've got." Malcolm acknowledged without any argument. The Enterprise and Endeavour turned and knifed directly at their target from below, as all six Romulan ships provided an unceasing wall of fire. The Endeavour blocked the majority of these attacks, shielding the Enterprise in the process but suffering drastic consequences as several direct hits landed on her bridge. A large explosion sprouted from the top of the Endeavour's saucer, and without her primary operations center the ship veered off course exposing the Enterprise.

"Endeavour's bridge has been destroyed!" Hoshi reported, a huge explosion on the ship knocked it off course, but Travis' quick hands returned Enterprise to its original path. More explosions shook the Enterprise as they passed the Romulan ships guarding their primary target. When the enemy vessel entered weapons range, the Enterprise fired all its forward phase cannons and torpedoes. The overloading effect proved devastating, collapsing the Romulan ship's shields in the volley, but it would prove to be insufficient.

"Its not enough, she's still operational." Malcolm said grimly.

"The Endeavour?" Archer asked, coughing from the smoke.

"Dead in space captain." T'Pol replied. In retaliation for their attack, the other five Romulan vessels converged on the Enterprise for a massive attack run. Miraculously, the bridge was spared. Archer looked all around him, his crew was struggling to remain at their post, and the ship was badly injured. He felt a sting on his forehead, and a quick check with his hands indicates that he must have cut his head on a fall.

"Hull breaches on multiple decks! And Doctor Phlox reports that we have suffered over 50% casualties!" Hoshi reported again, clearly stricken by fear. _I hate Romulans_. From the view screen, Archer could see the Romulans preparing for a final attack run.

"Hoshi, prepare a beacon with all our logs. Malcolm, get every available weapon ready. We're going to fire off the beacon and get word to Starfleet, than we'll stand our ground so the Romulans can't go after it." He said while gritting his teeth. He had just effectively ordered his ship; and everyone on it to their deaths. But he saw no other way. He truly admired his crew as they carried out his orders without hesitation.

"Beacon is ready sir." He heard Hoshi say. Malcolm nodded his readiness. _I've faced Klingons, Suiliban, and Xindi... now some damn Romulans is finally going to get me._ He hated the idea of defeat, regardless, he gave the order.

"Captain, wait." T'Pol spoke; Archer thought he heard a hint of excitement from her voice. Even though she's Vulcan, she had reason to be. The view screen shifted from the five approaching ships of death to a battered Endeavour closing in on the lone Romulan vessel. Archer's heart pounded, this was indeed a miracle. The Endeavour had caught the Romulans off guard as the five ships closing in on Enterprise immediately veered off to protect its helpless comrade. But it was too late, the Endeavour opened fire. The Romulan vessel was considerably damaged from Enterprise's daring run, and the Endeavour finished the job and turned the tide of the battle permanently.

"Trip! How's our warp core?" Archer couldn't control his excitement when speaking into the intercom.

"Damaged but working!" Came the reply, but that was all he needed to hear. On the view screen, the Endeavour vanished into warp before the enraged Romulan cruisers could pound on it.

"Get us out of here Travis!" But it was an unnecessary order as the Enterprise was already halfway to light speed.

* * *

- December 5th, 2380 -

It has taken two hours, but finally the Enterprise reached the edge of the subspace jamming. The jamming range was incredibly and unusually large, and during this time the ship has not been able to contact Starfleet Command. Geordi had worked frantically to break through the jamming without success, and now Picard was anxious to get word out to Admiral Janeway about the events that had transpired. As soon as the Enterprise was out of the jamming range, she dropped out of warp. Captain Picard immediately prepared to dispatch a message, but before he could do so, three Federation starships emerged from warp and halted directly in front of the Enterprise. What would happen next would be etched into his memory forever.

"Captain Jean-Luc Picard." The captain of the lead ship greeted him. "I'm Captain Samuel Thessien of the Merrimac… I have been ordered by Starfleet Command to place you and your vessel under arrest." Picard made no attempt to hide his shock, neither did his crew, and it was Commander Madden who replied.

"On what charge?" He asked. It took several seconds, but the other captain replied grimly.

"Treason…"

_To Be Continued..._  



	7. VI: The Approaching Storm

**- SIX -  
The Approaching Storm**

* * *

- December 5th, 2380 -

The entire bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise-E stood quietly in stunned silence. The same words echoing inside their heads over and over again. Not a single soul in that silent room could comprehend on what to do next, their only respond is by staring at the view screen dumbfounded. Captain Jean-Luc Picard ran through the word in his head for the millionth time. He could clearly tell the officer on the other side of the view screen, Captain Thessien, was rather agitated by the hush that had swept the Enterprise's bridge. Although it seemed like it took an eternity, Picard finally did slap out of the trance.

"What… is the basis of this charge?" The captain of the Enterprise managed.

"Captain Picard, we have evidence that your vessel, along with something called the Armia Krajowa, took part in the destruction of the U.S.S. Illustrious and the death of her crew." Thessien replied with a mono-toned voice, almost as if he were reading a script.

"What? That's impossible. We were attacked by…" Picard attempted to rebuttal but was promptly cut off.

"I am sorry Captain, but this transmission from Captain Williams of the Illustrious tells otherwise." Thessien briefly turned around to signal one of his bridge officers. Moments later, the Enterprise's main view screen flickered, switching the picture from that of Thessien to that of Captain William's. The picture was hazy, plagued by static but Picard could make out various facial injuries on Williams, as well as a smoking and burning bridge behind him. The audio crackled and clicked as it blared out from the bridge's speakers.

"Enterprise… opened fire… they call themselves… Armia… Krajowa…" Williams muttered as he heaved from the overwhelming smoke flooding his lungs. "Picard has… turned against… Federation…" _What?!_ "Must… warn Starfleet… get word to… Federation… Picard is lead…" At that point, an explosion roared from behind Williams, followed by a bright flash and a hellish scream. The entire bridge crew was once again in shock. Captain Thessien returned to the view screen and Picard wasted no time, walking forward and speaking in a frustrated tone.

"That's impossible! The Enterprise did not open fire on the Illustrious! We were ambushed by the Armia Krajowa who were jamming our communications!"

"Then what happened to the Illustrious? Was she destroyed?" Thessien shot back.

"I don't know! Her warp drive failed before we arrived in Titov… Captain Williams…" Again, much to Picard's anger, he was cut off.

"Is there any evidence to back your claims?" Picard quickly turned to his ops officer.

"Ms. Perry… the ship's records?" Perry nodded and turned to her console and started working feverishly.

"What the hell?" Perry muttered only seconds later. "Captain…" She said as she looked up to her commanding officer. "You're not going to believe this… according to the Enterprise's logs… we did destroy the Illustrious…" And for the third time in as many minutes, Picard was stunned.

"Captain Picard." Thessien said in the background. "I am sorry, but you must surrender your vessel immediately." Picard turned back to face the view screen, and in a rare moment of his life, he was speechless.

"This is some sort of mistake…" Picard muttered to himself. Thessien turned again to face an unseen officer, and nodded. "It's impossible…" As Picard stood, trying in vein to grasp the situation, the familiar twinkles of light representing a transporter beam appeared throughout the bridge. An instant later, a half-dozen Starfleet security personnel, armed with phaser rifles drawn and fully charged materialized on the bridge. One of them walked up to captain of the starship Enterprise.

"Captain Picard, you are now under the custody of the United Federation of Planets…"

* * *

- February 1st, 2156 -

The bright afternoon San Francisco sunlight shone off the cluster of buildings that formed Starfleet Command. It was always a breath-taking view, behind the main campus stood the Golden Gate Bridge that has survived for centuries. It is a monument that truly inspired all those who set their eyes upon it. Jonathan Archer could certainly use some inspiration now.

He continued to stare out the window as the small shuttle glided gently pass Starfleet's headquarters and towards the main parliament building that was the heart of the World Government. The World Government is the ruling body on Earth; they held authority over the entire planet and also administered Starfleet which was its naval branch.

It had taken a month for Enterprise and Endeavour to limp home; they had to make several stops for emergency repairs. Both ships now reside safely in dry-docks orbiting the blue planet undergoing major repairs. While his vessel was getting a face-lift, Jonathan Archer has been meeting with Starfleet's senior staff on a daily basis for several weeks. The topic was always the same, the Romulans. Since Enterprise and Endeavour's near fatal run with a Romulan patrol, they have been launching raids on terran shipping lanes and these attacks have been escalating.

The World Government was holding an emergency session to determine their response, and Starfleet's top officers have been summoned as military advisors. Of course Archer declined to attend the meeting, instead leaving Admiral Forrest and other officers to handle the bureaucrats. Archer never considered himself a politician and would rather not be put in a situation to have to deal with them. So instead of being locked in a stuffy council chamber for several hours, Archer excused himself, tending to his damaged ship and spending sometime overseeing repairs and his recovering crew.

His crew is exhausted. Thankfully none of his bridge officers were badly injured, but many lives, too many lives were lost. Starfleet gave the surviving crew members several weeks of leave. Of course Trip never left, always staying by the Enterprise's warp core's side. He was very eager to get the Enterprise all patched up so he can take the ship out and return the favour to the Romulans.

The shuttle landed softly, Archer barely felt the jolt. When it was clear, he marched out of the cramped vehicle and followed a guide through a maze of large hallways and corridors to the main senate hall. The main hall was an impressive sight, it was a large circular room with hundreds of seats and tables spread out across the floor. Each successive row of chairs and tables were elevated higher then the previous row, and in the center was a large circular table with a rotating chair where the President of the World Government sat.

He had only been here once as a child on a school field trip and had only seen the senate in session over video. The room was filled and bustling with activity as the numerous senators conducted business or idle chat although many were simply rounding up and packing documents and preparing to leave. Archer caught sight of Admiral Forrest in a discussion with two other Starfleet officers and a well-dressed senator. Archer decided to stand and wait patiently for the Admiral to conclude his conversation with the politician. It took an additional five minutes before Admiral Forrest was able to divert his attention to the Starfleet captain.

"I'm terribly sorry to make you wait Jon…" Forrest said as he shuffled towards his friend and fellow officer. Archer raised his hand to indicate it wasn't a problem.

"How was the meeting?" Archer asked, although it was a rhetorical question as he could tell how it went judging by Forrest's exhausted posture.

"If you wanted to know whether skipping it was a good ideal…" Forrest gave Archer a funny look, "It was." Archer nodded.

"We should head to my office, we can talk more there… and I need a drink too." Forrest started marching and Archer fell into formation beside him. They walked out of the senate building and into beautiful afternoon weather.

"Damned nice outside, too bad I wasted it all in there." Forrest grunted. Archer smiled as Forrest continued, "Things are going bad Jon." The pair continued their walk as they entered the Starfleet campus.

"How bad?" Archer asked, although once again he knew it wasn't necessary. Forrest let out a sigh.

"Most of the senators are screaming for bloody murder, war." Archer wasn't entirely surprised. "Although you can thank our Vulcan friends for intervening, again." This did not shock Archer either. "Ambassador Soval convinced the President to dispatch a Vulcan-led envoy to Romulan space."

"A Vulcan emissary?"

"Exactly. The Vulcan High Command volunteered a diplomatic team and several ships to spearhead the 'peace process'…" Archer let out a huff. "We will, of course, be sending a few of our own ships to escort them."

"Those people are unbelievable." Archer shook his head as the two passed through the main doors and into Starfleet Command.

"I know Jon. We've already wasted too much effort and time trying to establish contact with the Romulans; I doubt the Vulcans will have anymore success." Forrest stopped briefly as an empty turbo-life arrived to carry them to the upper floors.

"What's our plan then?" Forrest stood silently in the turbo-lift for a moment as he concentrated.

"Nothing right now, we wait. We'll need to have another meeting first." Archer resisted the urge to groan at the thought of another day-long meeting while being imprisoned in a room. "We shouldn't jump the gun yet, we don't know enough about the Romulans to wage war on them. Best thing we can do now is let the Vulcans do their thing and see what happens."

"Great… more waiting…"

* * *

- December 7th, 2380 -  
  
Captain Jean-Luc Picard sat quietly in his chair, a prisoner confined to his own cabin, as Beethoven's 9th Symphony roared from the many speakers strewn throughout the room. Classical music always eased him and helped him concentrate. The Enterprise sat in space, surrounded by three Federation vessels. Most of the Enterprise's crew were under cabin arrest, and security personnel from the other three ships patrolled the corridors. A few officers were permitted to remain on duty, but under constant guard and heavy escort.

All four Federation starships have remained still for the last two days. They were awaiting a troop ship to arrive to properly secure and take over the Enterprise before heading towards the nearest starbase. Picard has been cut off from his crew since his arrest, and he has been denied access to the ship's subspace communications so he could not contact Admiral Janeway. In fact, no one at all has contacted him.

Picard continued to think, jogging the same scenario with the Illustrious in his mind over again. He suspected sabotage of the Enterprise's records, but he cannot understand how that transmission could've even come into existence. Its possible that he was set-up but the whole situation was simply too far-fetched to believe. A flash outside the window caught Picard's eye as another Federation vessel emerged from warp. _Probably the troop ship. Well at least I won't be a prisoner in my room for much longer._ Although it was too far for Picard to identify it. However that question would be answered just 10 minutes later.

"Captain Picard." A voice rang over the intercom. Picard was a little startled and quickly motioned to turn the music off.

"Yes, Picard here." He replied.

"We have a guest who would like to see you." Again, Picard was surprised.

"Come in then." He said as he stood up from his chair and turned to face the door just as it whooshed open. A familiar security officer, with phaser rifle in hand stepped in and took a position by the door. Another figure walked in, someone entirely unexpected, Captain William T. Riker.

_To Be Continued..._  



	8. VII: Shrouds of Darkness

  


**- SEVEN -  
Shrouds of Darkness**  


* * *

- December 7th, 2380 -  
  
Inside a dark and ominous room, twelve black slabs made of polished metal formed a full circle. Each slab was about the size of a regular door, except for one that was larger then the rest. About three quarters of the way up on each slab was a faint strip of light, and just below it were Roman numerals denoting each slab, with the largest being one and the rest numbered two to twelve. In the heart of the ring, planted on the cold grey floor was a holographic projection of a talking Captain Lauren Dougherty.  
  
"Yes sir, he has escaped just as you requested." She reported. A commanding voice boomed from the larger slab.  
  
"You have done well Captain Dougherty." She nodded and continued.  
  
"Thank you sir. Our agents report that the Enterprise has been intercepted and Captain Picard placed under Federation arrest." She paused for breath, "Our ships are in place and ready to act on your command sir." Again, the same voice spoke.  
  
"Excellent. You may proceed captain." Dougherty nodded in acknowledgement as her holographic image disappeared. Another slab turned to face the larger one.  
  
"It is just as you had predicted Jehovah. Those fools are ready to believe anything they see." Again, the large slab replied.  
  
"Of course Thaddeus, the pieces are falling into place. Soon Apokalypto will be ready."

* * *

- February 15th, 2156 -  
  
Captain Jonathon Archer slumbered quietly and peacefully in his San Francisco apartment, with his dog Porthos at the foot of the bed. Unfortunately this didn't last much longer as both were taken from their sleep by the call of the flashing video monitor located on the wall next to Archer's bed. Archer grunted his annoyance as he lifted himself from the softness and comfort of the mattress to face the blinking monitor, crying out for his attention. Who the hell is calling at his hour? Finally Archer pressed a button to answer what he hoped was a truly urgent call.  
  
"Sorry to have called you at this time of night." Admiral Forrest said the instant his face appeared on the screen. Archer wiped his face with his hands in an effort to shake off the inevitable drowsiness in this situation.  
  
"I'm sure it's important enough to wake me up Admiral." Archer said. Forrest had no trouble picking up the hint of annoyance in Archer's voice. Given the circumstances he let it go and continued.  
  
"It is Jon. The Vulcan envoy has been destroyed." Archer gave the Admiral a stunned look.  
  
"What?"  
  
"A Vulcan outpost picked up the distress signal two days ago actually. They sent a ship to investigate... they found the envoy, or what's left of them."  
  
"And our own ships?" Archer inquired about the Starfleet escort that also took part. The Admiral shook his head.  
  
"No survivors."  
  
"Are you sure it was the Romulans?" Archer already knew the answer but had to ask anyway.  
  
"The weapons signatures found on the wreckage is consistent with those from the Atlantis... it's definitely them Jon. There's no doubt about it." Archer silently cursed, he knew the whole thing was a long shot, but it still provided him with some linger of hope for a peaceful solution.  
  
"What about the senate? They know yet?" Forrest nodded in confirmation.  
  
"The senate just called an emergency session first thing in the morning." Forrest continued. "Jon, this hasn't been released to the public yet, the World Government wants to arrive at a decision first before letting everyone know."  
  
"What's Starfleet doing?"  
  
"We're going to be there. I need you down at headquarters immediately; I'm calling everyone in right now." Archer nodded and promptly got up to dress, but turned back to the monitor as the Admiral spoke again. "Jon. This could be it." Forrest emphasised. "This could be war..."

* * *

- December 7th, 2380 -  
  
"What the devil are you doing here Will?" Picard said, looking at his smiling former Number One.  
  
"Trying to get your butt out of the fire again Jean-Luc." Picard couldn't help but give up a grin.  
  
"Well, it's good to see you again. I only wished it was under better circumstances." Picard said, as he gestured towards the two chairs in his quarters. Both sat down.  
  
"That's always the case isn't it? How long has it been... two years?" Riker replied.  
  
"Too long Will, too long. How's Deanna?"  
  
"She's fine, but concerned... about you."  
  
"So am I." Although he would love to catch up with Riker, Picard knew there was more important business at hand. "But what brings you here?" Riker's smile faded as he started speaking seriously.  
  
"Admiral Janeway sent me."  
  
"Kathryn?"  
  
"Yes. She wanted me to find out what's going on." Picard gave him a quizzical look.  
  
"I'll be damned if I knew. I was hoping she would have some answers for me."  
  
"She doesn't, and I don't either. Starfleet received the Illustrious' transmission, and before we could do anything, the Federation Council ordered your arrest." Picard was somewhat shocked.  
  
"The council ordered my arrest?"  
  
"Unbelievable isn't it. Any other day, they're slow as snails but when it comes to putting people in custody, you couldn't keep them away. But it was more like the council voted for it and the President issued the order... she had no choice." This started juggling Picard's brain.  
  
"Will, we were intercepted only two hours after the attack. Even with the Federation Council in fast-motion, there's no way they can have a session, vote, issue an order to Starfleet and have it respond and arrest us in two hour's time!" Riker immediately picked on Picard's train of thought.  
  
"You're right. It all seems too convenient doesn't it?" Picard related to Riker the entire incident from when the Illustrious and Enterprise were ambushed to his unexpected treasonous arrest. But it was the jamming that really caught Riker's attention.  
  
"That jamming... two hours at maximum warp, that's quite some range its got." Riker filled in the puzzle.  
  
"Exactly. It's something new; Geordi said he's never seen anything like it. By the time we were out of its range and dropped out of warp these ships appeared and told me I was under arrest for treason!"  
  
"Sounds like a set up." Riker said quickly, he had no doubt after his former commanding officer's innocence and believed every word he heard.  
  
"Well, the Enterprise's logs seem to think we did destroy the Illustrious."  
  
"But those can be altered." That caught Picard's attention.  
  
"Yes, yes you're right. Damnit why didn't I think of that before?" Picard cursed.  
  
"Although that would be difficult to do, but not impossible. And that transmission could've been a forgery too. No one gave it a second glance as soon as they saw it." Riker added in.  
  
"Who would do all this? And this is all circumstantial, we've got nothing concrete. Unfortunately the ship's under lockdown and none of my crew have access to the computers to check the logs." Riker grinned again.  
  
"But I do." Riker activated his communications badge. "Riker to Titan." It took two seconds but a familiar female voice responded.  
  
"Deanna here. How's the captain?" Picard again gave up another grin at hearing her voice again.  
  
"Could be better Deanna, but I'm fine." Picard spoke up. It didn't take a telepath to tell that the person on the other side of the line was smiling. Riker cut in.  
  
"Deanna, I need you to download the Enterprise's logs." The reply came fast.  
  
"I'm not sure if Captain Thessien will like that Will. He's already complaining about you being there." Picard gave Riker a look, who simply smirked.  
  
"Tell him it's for the investigation. If he doesn't like that, then he can take it up with Admiral Janeway himself." It was always nice to have friends in higher places.  
  
"I'll get right on it. And don't worry captain; we'll get you out of this." She directed to Picard.  
  
"Thank you Deanna." Picard replied before the line was cut. He turned back to Riker. "Good to see that commanding a starship hasn't changed you one bit." Riker's smile returned.  
  
"I learned from the best." Riker was about to continue when something out the window caught his eye. Picard caught it and turned around as well. Outside, several warp flashes appeared in succession, at least seven, maybe eight. An instant later, Picard was able to make out the approaching ships, which were heading straight for the Enterprise. Riker quickly went for his comm badge but was beaten as Deanna's voice blared out in the room.  
  
"Will, I think you should get back to the Titan." Riker and Picard exchanged glances.  
  
"Is that the troop carrier?" Riker asked, but the answer came before Deanna could respond as the sound of the red alert klaxon flooded the room.  
  
"I don't think so..." Deanna replied. Her doubt was quickly confirmed as the closest approaching ship opened fire on the Enterprise.  
  


_To Be Continued..._  



	9. VIII: Descent into Chaos

**- EIGHT -  
Descent into Chaos**

* * *

- February 15th, 2156 -  
  
"Here you go Jon." Archer looked up to see a tired and worn Admiral Forrest handing him another cup of coffee. He greedily took it and gulped it down quickly, surprising even his exhausted superior officer. It was his third cup, but he still felt that there wasn't sufficient caffeine in his system to chase away his sleepiness, but it'll have to do. Gathered in the Admiral's office were four other senior Starfleet officers.  
  
"Any word from the Vulcans?" Vice-Admiral Frier asked, initiating the start of the emergency meeting.  
  
"None yet, we probably won't until the senate meets in two hours." Archer had lost track of the time, sneaking a glace out the office window to see a faint gleam of light rising above San Francisco's skyline, signalling dawn.  
  
"Captain Archer." He quickly snapped back to attention, turning to face Commodore Shields. "You have the most experience out of any of us when it comes to dealing with the Romulans, do you think they intent a full- blown war?" All of a sudden, the spotlight was on him, and he gave himself a few seconds to scramble up an answer.  
  
"Well, to be honest sir, my experience isn't much." He carried on before letting anyone else interrupt. "No one has been able to carry out much of a conversation with the Romulans. An encounter with them usually involves a warning and then a disruptor shot." Normally, this remark would generate some light-hearted laughter, but the atmosphere and mood was simply too tense.  
  
"What do they want? Territory? Resources? There has to be some sort of justification for them to start a war." Vice-Admiral Hooper splat out, clearly frustrated with his failure to understand the Romulans and their actions over the past few weeks..  
  
"Its probable the Romulans believe that we provoked them." That got Archer a few quizzical looks. "When Enterprise and Endeavour were ambushed, the Romulans accused us of violating their space... more then once."  
  
"So they want to start a war just because we accidentally set foot in their turf a couple of times?" Commodore Shields asked again, Admiral Forrest nodded in agreement.  
  
"Gentlemen, we know very little about the Romulans, or their behavioural patterns... anything is possible at this point. Until we get more information we'll have to assume that war is their intention." Forrest said.  
  
"Is that what we'll be telling the senate?" Admiral Ryan spoke for the first time. Forrest let out a sigh, and again nodded.

* * *

- December 7th, 2380 -  
  
Captains Jean-Luc Picard and William T. Riker were flung to the floor of Picard's cabin as the first volley of fire struck the Enterprise-E. Immediately the red alert klaxon bared out from every direction as the room was turned into velvet red by the emergency lights. The two captains picked themselves back up.  
  
"Will! Get back to your ship!" Picard yelled over the klaxon.  
  
"But..." Picard interrupted his former first officer.  
  
"Your ship needs you; I can take care of myself." Riker hesitantly nodded in agreement as the guard stumbled into the room. "Ensign, I'm returning to my ship, watch the captain here and make sure nothing happens to him." The young man nodded in acknowledgement.  
  
"Yes sir!" Riker gave Picard a "good luck" look before activating his comm badge.  
  
"Riker to Titan, one to beam up!" A second later, Riker faded away in a twinkle of light. Picard turned back to the windows in his cabin, managing to catch a glimpse of the Merrimac giving chase and firing on one of the attacking ships, only to have two enemy vessels pounding away directly behind it.  
  
_We're badly outnumbered_. Picard only hoped that Riker could get out of this one alive. A second salvo rocked the Enterprise-E, knocking Picard into one of the cabin's sofas. His guard however wasn't as lucky as he hit the wall and fell to the floor. A desperate voice then sounded over the ship's intercom.  
  
"All hands prepare for intruders!!" What the hell is going on? Picard made his way to the young ensign and helped him back on his feet.  
  
"Are you alright?" The captain asked.  
  
"Yes sir, I'm fine." Before he could continue, the sound of a nearby phaser blast caught their attention. Picard could hear shouting and screaming just a ways down the corridor.  
  
"Retreat!! Fall back..." As several Starfleet officers appeared around the bend, firing while moving backwards, flashes of phaser fire surrounded them as they took cover behind some bulkheads. The ensign grabbed his phaser rifle and ran out of the cabin to join his comrades in arms.  
  
"Wait!" Picard yelled as he watched a security officer take a phaser shot in the chest and fall down. The last three remaining security officers continued to exchange phaser fire with the unseen enemy as Picard struggled to figure out what to do. He was crouching behind the door frame leading into his cabin, taking partial cover while watching the action unfold before him. When out of the corner of his eye, Picard detected some movement from the other end of the corridor. He turned just in time to see another group of soldiers, dressed in black military fatigues and toting some sort of modified phaser rifles emerge from the turbo-lift down the corridor. Damn!  
  
"Behind you!" Picard yelled the warning, but it was too late. He saw the ensign turn his head, and as he swung his phaser rifle towards the new attackers, several phaser blasts struck his legs, torso and face, knocking him into the wall... dead. Picard quickly threw himself back into his room to avoid the crossfire. As he lifted his face off the floor he saw, through the window, what he believed to be the Merrimac's saucer section exploding not too far off in the distance. Picard shielded his eyes from the bright flash that followed the death of the starship. _I hope the Titan's alright. This is all happening too fast._  
  
As he started to haul his body off the floor for the second time in as many minutes, he heard the clatter of footsteps behind him followed by a commanding male voice.  
  
"Captain Jean-Luc Picard?" He slowly turned around, to be met by three of the mysterious soldiers clad in black military fatigues pointing their phaser rifles squarely at his chest.  
  
"Yes." Was the only response he could muster. The soldier glared at him for a few seconds more, before patting the comm badge pinned on his chest. Picard however, failed to recognize the design of the insignia representing the communications device.  
  
"Buckler to Dougherty." Picard's eyes flared at hearing the name.  
  
"Dougherty here, report." The voice was eerily familiar.  
  
"We have the target secured. What are your orders?" The unidentified soldier asked without taking his eyes off the captain.  
  
"Kill him." The voice replied coldly. The soldier gave a satisfied grin.  
  
"With pleasure."

* * *

- February 15th, 2156 -  
  
News broke fast. Much faster in fact, then Starfleet or the World Government could've predicted. An hour before the senate's emergency session was to begin, word of the emissary's failure hit every news channel and agency on the planet. Thirty minutes later, the first mass rallies begun with thousands of citizens filling the streets with chants and cries for war. Archer and the Starfleet contingent had to fight their way through the crowds across the street to reach the senate building, all with the assistance of a security escort.  
  
"This is unbelievable." Archer said as they entered the main hall. Once inside, he saw the dozens of senators and politicians all squabbling with each other, the noise level was unbearable, as the President repeatedly hammered his gravel to no avail. The Starfleet officers found their seats and quickly dug themselves in. The President then finally lost his patience.  
  
"Enough!" His voice boomed out, finally catching the attention of everyone in the room. "The emergency session will commence immediately. News of the situation has already broken out and we must act quickly." The President then turned towards the Starfleet officers. "Admiral Forrest, what do you have for us?" Forrest stood up and cleared his throat.  
  
"I regret to inform you that we do not have much." This caused some mumbling in the room. "We are however, certain of the Romulan's hostile intentions. We believe that war is the only thing they want."  
  
"Then war is what they'll get!" An overexcited senator shouted, causing an uproar.  
  
"Order! Order! Order!" The President yelled at the top of his lungs, while pounding furiously away with his gravel. _He's going to need a new one before the day is out_. Archer thought.  
  
"Admiral, what can you tell us of the tactical situation?" Forrest shook his head in some frustration.  
  
"I am afraid I don't have any new information. Our intelligence on the Romulans are extremely thin." Forrest emphasised by making the gesture with two of his fingers. "I would advise that waging war with an enemy we barely know is very unwise at the moment." Many senators disagreed. "However," Forrest continued, "it may not be a luxury we have. War, unfortunately, may be our only option." Many senators however, agreed with this by starting a chant for war. Again, the President utilized his gravel to the maximum extent before turning to face Ambassador Soval.  
  
"Thank you Admiral. Ambassador, what is the stance of the Vulcan government?" The old alien dignitary stood up as the spotlight shifted to him.  
  
"Mr. President, the Vulcans concur with Admiral Forrest. War is an unadvisable choice for now." A few senators jeered and booed him, but failed to rattle the emotionless ambassador. "Admiral Forrest speaks wisely; you must not wage war with the Romulans until you know more about your enemy. You must not let your lust for revenge cloud your thinking, acting rashly will only do more harm then good. Instead, you must proceed logically." This statement unnerved a few of the politicians.  
  
"Shut your mouth you damn Vulcans!" One yelled, to the applause of several others. Others revived the war chant. It took a full minute before the President was able to establish any order, he was clearly exhausted by working his gravel so hard.  
  
"Thank you Ambassador. If there are no others who wish to voice their opinion...?" The President scanned the entire room. "Then we must act quickly. The people are becoming restless, and it is only a matter of time before we descend into anarchy." The President paused for breath. "Now, we must vote for war... or peace. Senators, it is time to make your voice heard." Archer watched as all the bureaucrats picked up a small hand-held device in front of them, through these devices they will vote in favour, or against a declaration of war, and a computer will tally the results. Archer sat quietly besides the admiral for a few tense minutes. The future of earth will be decided here. Finally, a signal beckoned the President, indicating that the voting was complete. He turned to face a large view screen showing the results, as did everyone else in the room.  
  
The decision was unanimous. The President stood to face the senate as a wave of cheers erupted and swept through the main hall. All Archer and Forrest could do was exchange looks of uncertainty.  
  
"Then so be it. The people of Earth have spoken." The President's voice rumbled with authority. "There will be war with the Romulan Star Empire."  
  


_To Be Continued..._  



	10. IX: Dual Failures

**- NINE -  
Dual Failures**  


* * *

- December 7th, 2380 -  
  
Captain Picard stared down the barrel of the phaser rifle at point blank range. His life quickly flashed before his eyes in typical near-death fashion. _Damn_. That was the only thing he could think of, his brain continued to wave around widely, in a vain attempt to grasp something, anything to help preserve his life. But alas, he could muster nothing from the void, and the captain prepared to face his impending doom.  
  
"Don't worry; I'll make this quick and painless." The male soldier said, gently pulling the trigger back. Without warning, Picard heard a loud crash behind him. The unexpected noise startled both the captain and his executioner as the two turned to the source of the disruption.  
  
"What the..." The soldier exclaimed, but the intended curse that was to follow never left his mouth. Picard turned in time to see Lieutenant Alexander Munroe, on one knee, fire off a burst of energy from his phaser pistol, pinning the soldier with a perfect shot to his chest. As the military figure dressed in black collapsed in a heap from the blast, his two subordinates behind him lifted their phaser rifles in reaction. Before they could even establish aim however, two phaser shots appeared from behind, striking them in the back and knocking them out of commission permanently.  
  
Munroe strode towards the fallen warriors, still with his weapon aimed at them as two Enterprise crew members totting phaser rifles emerged from the corridor outside. After ensuring that the intruders were dead, Munroe quickly turned to help his captain, who had dove to the floor to avoid the crossfire, back to his feet.  
  
"Are you alright sir?" Munroe asked as Picard brushed and straightened his uniform, which by now was considerably wrinkled from the large amount of diving he has done in the past several minutes.  
  
"Yes, yes Mr. Munroe. Thank you for your... timely appearance." Picard turned to see where Munroe had come from, and noticed the ventilation grate on the floor. "Good choice." He noted.  
  
"Sorry that we didn't get here sooner sir. We were a bit tied up on the deck below." Munroe said apologetically. Picard waved it off.  
  
"Nonsense... I'm happy that you even showed up at all." Picard paused for a half a second as his brain started to regain full control. "What's the status of the ship?"  
  
"We took the opportunity to escape when the attack begun. We were able to retake the armoury first, and Elite Force is at this moment in the process of repelling the intruders." Munroe reported.  
  
"What about the security officers from the other ships?" Picard asked.  
  
"Most of them were killed in the initial attack..." Munroe was then cut off by his communicator.  
  
"Murphy to Munroe." Came the smooth, female voice from the other end.  
  
"Alex here, we've secured the captain. How are things going on your end Telsia?" Munroe asked back.  
  
"We've secured engineering, Commander LaForge is going over the ship's systems right now." Picard breathed a sign of relief at knowing that his chief engineer was safe.  
  
"And the bridge?" Alex asked immediately.  
  
"Chang says he will have it secured in the next minute or so."  
  
"Good, I'll take the captain there right now. Munroe out." The Lieutenant looked at Picard who nodded his readiness.  
  
"Right." Munroe muttered, turning back to face Ensigns Chell and Sydney Stockman waiting just outside the captain's quarters with phaser rifles at the ready. "Let's go."

* * *

- September 20th, 2156 -  
  
Thick, arid smoke begun to flood the bridge of the Enterprise as Captain Jonathon Archer held on to the arm rests of his chair. On the view screen, a pair of Romulan warships made another pass on the beleaguered Starfleet vessel, rocking and shaking it violently.  
  
"Report!" Archer barked out.  
  
"Hull polarization failure is immanent!" Reed replied, still working his console frantically. The lights on the bridge dimmed again as the starship took and suffered another pounding attack. Outside, over two dozen terran vessels danced wildly in space, while over twice as many Romulan ships slowly picked them off one by one.  
  
"Travis! Get us towards the lead Romulan ship!" Archer ordered quickly, "Malcolm, give them everything we've got left!" The Enterprise, with a battered and scarred hull, weaved and ducked through several Romulan warships, taking in more shots in the process as it charged recklessly towards a larger Romulan Warbird hammering away at three converted Starfleet merchant vessels.  
  
"Photonic torpedoes ready sir!"  
  
"Fire!" The Enterprise unleashed a pair of torpedoes from its forward tubes towards the Romulan Warbird. As the two bright red objects screamed towards their target, the Warbird veered from its enemies and activated its cloaking device at the last second, almost as a taunting gesture, throwing the torpedoes into confusion as they desperately tried to locate their vanished victim.  
  
"Damn it!" Archer cursed, watching the two torpedoes fly off and detonated as its fuel ran out. Immediately, the Warbird reappeared left of the Enterprise, returning the favour by slamming it with a massive volley of disruptor fire.  
  
"Hull polarization has failed sir!" Malcolm said while coughing and wheezing from the smoke. On the view screen, three more Starfleet vessels exploded in fiery deaths as their killers altered course to search for new prey.  
  
"Doctor Phlox to the bridge, we're taking massive casualties!" A voice echoed from a speaker on the bridge. Before Archer could react, Trip's desperate voice took over.  
  
"Captain! We can't take much more of this... all our power sources are failing and the warp engine's going be out of commission if we don't get out of here now!" _Damn!_ Enterprise turned, with some struggle to face the Warbird and opened fire with her phase cannons but failed to penetrate her opponent's shields.  
  
"What's the status of the fleet?" Archer yelled, throwing the question up in the air and hoping someone will answer it.  
  
"We've only got eleven ships left sir!" Hoshi reported, reading off from her console. "They're all reporting heavy damage and extreme casualties..." Another explosion on the view screen interrupted Hoshi's report. "Make that ten!"  
  
The Enterprise threw itself into a roll, just barely avoiding half a dozen disruptor shots from its pursuers. An ally vessel then attempted to assist its besieged flagship by slicing through the Romulan formation chasing Enterprise. Unfortunately, her helmsman miscalculated as the ship clipped a Romulan vessel causing it to spin out of control. Another Romulan ship then promptly decloaked beside it and finished off the wounded starship. Archer then gritted his teeth for his next order.  
  
"Hoshi, sound a general retreat." The communications officer did not reply verbally but instead set out to carry her captain's orders as quickly as possible. On the view screen, the surviving Starfleet vessels engaged their warp drives one by one.  
  
"Alright Travis, it's our turn..." Archer continued as another hit rocked the Enterprise, causing some sparks to fly on the bridge. "Get us out of here!" Mayweather didn't need to be told twice as he smoothly operated a sequence of buttons and the Enterprise disappeared in a flash of warp speed.

* * *

- December 7th, 2380 -  
  
"Status report." Picard ordered as he settled back into his chair. Behind him, several members of Elite Force were busily cleaning out the bridge and removing the bodies of the dead intruders. Lieutenant Kimberly Perry, the operations officer, was the first to speak up.  
  
"All sensors functional sir, computers and navigational systems are undamaged." Picard then turned to Alex Munroe.  
  
"All weapons systems are online sir."  
  
"Leave the shields down; I don't think the Armia Krajowa realizes we've taken the ship back yet." Munroe turned to face the captain, giving him a puzzled look.  
  
"Sir?"  
  
"Trust me, it's them. I'll explain it to you at a more appropriate time." Munroe nodded and turned back to face his console and the view screen. "How's the Titan doing?" Munroe worked his console, activating the view screen and focusing on an outnumbered Federation vessel being hounded by half a dozen hostile ships.  
  
"The Titan's the only surviving ship left sir. It looks like our 'escorts' have all been destroyed."  
  
_ Damn!_ As much as Picard wanted to protect Enterprise's cover, he simply could not sit and watch the Titan get destroyed. He had no choice but to throw his ship into combat and help out his friend.  
  
"Red alert! Mr. Munroe, get us into the fight. Ms. Perry, hail the Titan and get Captain Riker on the line!" The two officers obeyed their orders and moments later the view screen flickered, switching from the Titan to Captain Riker on a smoke filled bridge.  
  
"I see you were able to take care of things on your end Jean-Luc!" Riker half-yelled, half spoke, with some amusement in his voice despite the situation. Before Picard could answer, the Enterprise shook as it started to take some hits.  
  
"Mr. Munroe, return fire! Glad to see you were able to hold up."  
  
"Barely." Riker was cut off by the eruption of a small fire behind him. "Those are Federation starships, what the hell are they shooting at us for?"  
  
"That's the much-vaunted Armia Krajowa." Riker's eyes flared for a brief moment, signalling his shock. "I'll explain it to you later, how's your warp drive?"  
  
"Ticking like clock-work... I didn't want to leave you alone with those guys."  
  
"Your loyalty is much appreciated Will, but I think it's time we took our leave."  
  
"I concur whole-heartedly!" Seconds later, with their pursuers throwing everything but the kitchen sink at them, the two ships engaged their warp drives with the Enterprise escaping an untimely demise yet again.

* * *

- December 7th, 2380 -  
  
Several systems away from the heated battle, a Prometheus class starship sits quietly as it orbited a large blue-green gas giant planet. Printed on the front of the saucer section were the words U.S.S. Concordia, lit by well-placed lights for all to see against the darkness of space. On the bridge of the rogue starship sat Captain Lauren Dougherty, busily distracting herself with a datapad in her hands. Her attention however, was soon diverted by her communications officer.  
  
"Captain?" It was almost a cough. Dougherty waited a full second before lifting her head and reveal her stunningly attractive and youthful face.  
  
"Yes?" She said, sounding neither annoyed nor happy.  
  
"Ma'am, the Vanquish reports that they have failed. Captain Picard is still alive." Dougherty's expression remained unchanged. "And the Enterprise, as well as the Titan has escaped." Although this news should have infuriated her, Dougherty showed no signs emotion. Instead she let another second drift by before issuing her next command.  
  
"Very well, and Lieutenant..." She paused to let out a short, but quiet sigh before continuing. "Contact Third Jerusalem... I will apologize to the Covenant personally."  
  


_To Be Continued..._  



	11. X: A Brief Respite

**- TEN -  
A Brief Respite**  


* * *

- December 8th, 2380 -  
  
"Captain Dougherty, your inability to carry out such a simple task is disturbing... and disappointing." Lauren Dougherty's holographic image kept her head down towards her feet, not daring to look up and face the twelve metallic slabs that surrounded her.  
  
"Yes sir, I apologize for my failure." There was a very short moment of awkward silence before she continued. "I can only beg for the Covenant's forgiveness, and assure you that this will never happen again."  
  
"I trust that it won't." The same voice answered.  
  
"That will be sufficient Bartholomew." Said a commanding voice from the largest metallic slab denoted with a one in Roman numerals.  
  
"Sir," Dougherty started again, this time lifting her head to face her superiors. "If you may give me another opportunity, I promise I will succeed and capture Picard for you." There was a slight hint of desperation in her voice, as if she wanted to a chance to redeem herself. The large metallic slab rotated back to face Dougherty's hologram.  
  
"No. We will take care of that. You have another task to carry out." Dougherty's face showed disappointment.  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
"You shall proceed with the next phase of the operation."  
  
"But Picard's capture..." Dougherty objected.  
  
"Is no longer your concern." The commanding voice finished, Dougherty immediately backed off. "You are dismissed captain." She nodded.  
  
"Yes sir." She said just moments before her hologram faded out of existence. Another of the dozen slabs turned.  
  
"Jehovah," Said the voice, addressing the previous speaker. "Picard is proving to be far more resilient than we had calculated. He may jeopardize Apokalypto."  
  
"There is no need for worry Matthew; it is only a minor set-back. I had planned for this." Jehovah reassured.  
  
"Picard must not be allowed to escape our grasp again." Another of the twelve spoke out.  
  
"He will not Thomas. Do not forget our mole, and I will dispatch the Amethyst to capture him." Jehovah replied.  
  
"One of the Foundation ships? Is that necessary?" Said another, sounding somewhat astonished.  
  
"Of course Andrew. We have underestimated Picard for too long." Jehovah said. "We will not make that mistake again, Picard... is ours."

* * *

- October 3rd, 2156 -  
  
"Good evening, I'm Barbara Miles of Global Media-Net. Our top story today; GMN has just learned that Starfleet's flagship, the Enterprise, has finally returned to space-dock in Earth orbit after suffering a disastrous defeat at the hands of the Romulans in the Telamon System. Telamon is a vital system to the war effort as several major trade lanes crosses through it. Although Starfleet is being its usual tight-lipped self by refusing to release any information in this latest development of the Romulan War, GMN has learned from reliable inside sources that terran losses in the battle were near total." The female anchor paused for a second for breath before continuing.  
  
"GMN has also learned that the battle for Telamon took place approximately two weeks ago. The reason for Enterprise's lengthy return trip are a result of several stops for emergency repairs. The starship also took considerable damage during the skirmish and was forced to limit its use of its warp drive. This defeat comes at the end of a long line of Starfleet failures to halt Romulan advances since the declaration of war by the World Government about seven months ago. In fact there has been no terran victory since the beginning of this conflict, and Starfleet has been reportedly downplaying the severity of the situation as the momentum continues to swing in favour for the Romulans..."  
  
The anchor was cut off abruptly as Admiral Forrest annoyingly turned off the monitor, not wanting to watch more as he sat in his office with Admiral Ryan and Commodore Shields.  
  
"We've got to stop these press leaks." Ryan said, breaking the brief moment of silence. Forrest responded with a bemused look.  
  
"If you know how, I would like to hear it." When no one answered, he continued by stating the obvious. "We can't shut them up, or they'll cry foul about us imposing on their freedoms and some such."  
  
"It certainly isn't helping morale." Shields added, as both admirals nodded in agreement. Before anyone could speak up, a beep reverberated throughout the room, indicating that someone was at the door.  
  
"Enter." Forrest said as the doors immediately parted ways to reveal a very beaten-looking Captain Jonathon Archer. Forrest stood up to greet his friend.  
  
"Jon. Glad to see you make it back in one piece." Archer shook the admiral's hands before settling down in a soft and comfortable chair.  
  
"You and I both Admiral." Archer started, "It's a miracle the Enterprise made it back at all."  
  
"I have read the report about the battle captain, how is your ship?" Shields asked.  
  
"My engineer, Commander Tucker, reports that it'll be at least a month and a half... maybe two, before Enterprise can see action again."  
  
"That bad?" It was Admiral Ryan who launched this question, sounding somewhat caught off guard.  
  
"Yes sir, we had to do a lot of patch work on the way back. They were short-term repairs, enough to get Enterprise back to Earth but they ended up doing more damage in the long run." Archer said, his voice qivering exhaustion.  
  
"And how's T'Pol and the rest of your crew?" It was a rhetorical question, but Forrest knew that Archer cared deeply about his crew and felt that he should show some sympathy towards his friend.  
  
"T'Pol suffered a number of injuries early in the battle; she sat most of it out in sickbay. She's at Starfleet Medical resting up and recuperating." Archer then continued, a little more slowly. "The rest of the survivors are fine, but we took over sixty percent casualties."  
  
"I'm sorry Jon; I know it was a tough one." Archer nodded in acknowledgement. "But I've got some bad and good news." The captain half frowned. "Several days ago, Starfleet Intelligence intercepted a Romulan transmission."  
  
"We've never done that before." Archer noted.  
  
"Right, but we may have figured out how to do so. Purely by luck but our techs believe they can duplicate the process." Forrest continued; this time a little more excited. "Now our people have only been able to decipher a small part of the transmission... but we believe the Romulans are up to something in the Vega Sector."  
  
"Like what?" The captain asked.  
  
"We're not sure, but Vega is key area of space between Earth and the Romulan Star Empire... now whatever it is, we think it's big. Very big." Forrest emphasised. "But we need to decipher the rest of the transmission to know exactly what it is they're up to, and we've run into a few snags..."  
  
"How about Hoshi? Ensign Sato's great in that department, plus she's had some experience with the Romulan language." Archer suggested.  
  
"That'll be perfect Jon." Forrest looked at Archer again, and saw in his eyes how tired the captain really was. "Send her to Intel in the morning... and as for you, get some sleep." Signalling that the meeting was adjourned, Archer slipped a half-smile as he stood up.  
  
"I will Admiral." As he stood up to leave, then turned to face his superiors one more time before making his exit. "Goodnight."

* * *

- December 9th, 2380 -  
  
Captain Jean-Luc Picard strode off the turbo-lift and made his way towards Engineering. Hectic would be an understatement to describe the last few days. It seems that everything, up to and including the sky, has fallen on them and the aging captain, along with his crew are still struggling to take it all in. The Enterprise-E, along with the Titan, sat silently in a nebula with much of its main systems powered down to further avoid detection.  
  
"Mr. LaForge, what do you have for me?" The captain asked as he spotted the Chief Engineer while walking into the huge room occupied by the ship's immense warp core.  
  
"Captain, I'm going to need at least a week in dry-dock to patch the ship up." The engineer said as walked over to meet his captain. "We've got problems all over the ship; my people are doing their best to fix them all but it's going to take time." Picard nodded.  
  
"Well, time is not a luxury we have. Do whatever you can commander." Geordi acknowledged by also nodding. "Any luck figuring out the Illustrious' transmission?" Geordi thought for a few seconds before answering.  
  
"We think it's probably a fake, found some irregularities with the transmission but nothing concrete for now. The Enterprise's logs though..." Geordi said as he moved to a nearby console and pressed a few buttons to bring up some text files. "You see these? These are the logs that said we fired on the Illustrious..." Geordi pointed at the screen. "Well according to the computer, the logs were altered into the form we see now." Picard had expected that.  
  
"How?" He was pretty sure Geordi didn't know.  
  
"That's the thing, we don't know. But we know that it was done onboard the Enterprise." Picard turned to the commander.  
  
"We've got a mole." The captain was a little astonished by the revelation.  
  
"It seems that way." The intercom then beeped.  
  
"Perry to Picard. Sir, Captain Riker wishes to speak with you."  
  
"Patch him to engineering please." A moment later, the text on the screen was replaced by Riker's face.  
  
"Jean-Luc, you better have a look at this. We just received this through subspace... it's a general transmission." A general transmission is an un-coded message meant for anyone and everyone, falling in the same category as a distress signal. Riker's face was then promptly replaced by Picard's own, stunning the captain and the chief engineer to silence as Picard watched himself launch into a speech.  
  
"I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard for the Armia Krajowa flagship Enterprise." Picard listened intently as his doppelganger identified himself and continued on.  
  
"I am here today, to issue a message to Starfleet and the Federation. Five years ago, several members of the Federation Council including the President himself, approved a joint operation with the Son'a to forcefully remove the people of Baku for exploitation of their planet." The doppelganger paused for breath and dramatic effect.  
  
"The Baku people were nearly wiped out by this atrocity, and only through the bravery and courage of my crew and ship were we able to prevent a catastrophe. Documents of this incident, along with the subsequent Federation cover up are attached with this transmission." Picard's jaw was the verge of hitting the floor.  
  
"The Federation has become an obsolete and corrupt institution! I have a message for every Starfleet officer out there. Stand up not only for yourself. But for freedom and for humanity! Join our cause, and together we can end this tyranny that is the United Federation of Planets! Let it be known that on this day, the Armia Krajowa begins its fight for freedom and justice, and declares war on the Federation!"  
  


_To Be Continued..._  



	12. XI: The Incoming Tide

**- ELEVEN -  
The Incoming Tide**

* * *

- November 15th, 2156 -  
  
Captain Jonathon Archer strolled briskly through the empty corridors of Starfleet Headquarters. The windows and lights which lined the hallway scrolled by, revealing a bright cityscape that prevented the darkness of night from completely enveloping it. Although San Francisco slept, Jonathon Archer could not enjoy the same pleasures and luxury. While the captain spent countless days meeting with Starfleet's highest commanders, his starship sat quietly high above the sky, orbiting the planet while nestled in dry-dock as dozens of workers raced against time to get her back in shape for battle against their Romulan nemesis.  
  
"Good evening Jon." The sectary greeted him. Archer flashed a smile.  
  
"I see you're burning the midnight oil too." The middle-aged female assistant to Admiral Forrest replied with her own heart-warming smile.  
  
"You know the saying; we're all in this together." She said, "The Admiral's waiting for you inside."  
  
"Thanks." Archer proceeded through the doors into the Admiral's office for the umpteenth time today.  
  
"Jon, take a seat." The Admiral greeted him, as Archer sat down across from the Admiral's desk. It was just the two of them.  
  
"I don't think I've left his building in a week." Archer begun, getting a slight laugh from the Admiral.  
  
"I lost count after fifteen days." They both allowed the atmosphere to lighten a little. "So I hear you've got news for me, I hope for your sake that it's of the good variety."  
  
"Hey, don't kill the messenger." Archer said, as he pulled out a data-pad from his pocket, placed it on the desk and slid it across to his superior. "We've finally cracked the Romulan cipher for that transmission." He continued as the Admiral picked up the pad and started reading.  
  
"It looks like Intel was right." The Admiral muttered.  
  
"Yea, the Romulans are preparing to take Vega Sector. But we're still missing a few pieces of the puzzle."  
  
"The numbers?"  
  
"Right." Archer nodded. "We also know that they're amassing ships slowly, so it won't get our attention, for the attack. We're just missing a number for how many ships, a specific date, and exactly where they're going to hit." The Admiral sat silently for a few seconds in deep concentration before replying.  
  
"What do you think Jon? How would you deal with this." Archer was caught off guard, and he showed a bit of it in his facial expression, but quickly recovered.  
  
"Well, for starters I would deploy more ships to Vega Sector, amass our own fleet. But we need more information then anything else right now." The Admiral agreed. "We should focus on getting more intelligence; find out more about the Romulan's plans before we commit to any kind of set defense." Forrest grinned.  
  
"Looks like you may be ready for a promotion after all Jon." Again, Archer was caught slightly off-guard.  
  
"Thank you Admiral, although I would prefer to remain in the captain's chair."  
  
"I know you do Jon. Let's get the rest of the staff here, start moving some more ships to Vega, and get Intel to step it up a notch." Admiral Forrest returned to look at Archer, "This just might be the big one."

* * *

- December 9th, 2380 -  
  
"Will, you know as well as I do that I can't run." Captain Jean-Luc Picard said firmly while looking straight into the eyes of his former first officer. Captain William Riker, on the other side of the long conference table frowned again.  
  
"Look, going back to Earth right now would be suicide! The Federation Council will hang you in a second." Riker repeated, and turned to Deanna Riker sitting in the chair next to him. "Deanna...", the Enterprise's former counsellor took her cue and jumped into the fray.  
  
"Captain." She pleaded, "I know you want to stand up for yourself and clear you name." Picard huffed. "But Will is right. Tensions in the Federation are at a boiling point, there are all these accusations flying around and everyone's looking for someone to pin the blame on. And unfortunately they've chosen you." Picard was clearly frustrated.  
  
"But that transmission was a fake! Surely Starfleet and the council must know that!"  
  
"They're blinded by their emotions and everything that's going on." Deanna again pleaded.  
  
"You almost sound like a Vulcan." Smiles broke throughout the briefing room.  
  
"Captain, forgive me but I do believe they're right." Commander Madden broke in. Picard let out a frustrated sigh.  
  
"They're using me and there's not a damn thing I can do about it!" No one said anything, instead giving the captain time to cool down. After a few moments, Picard nodded at Will, finally admitting defeat.  
  
"Good. The Titan's going to head back to Earth, I'll get in touch with Admiral Janeway and see if we can sort this mess out." Riker then tapped his comm-badge. "Riker to Perry."  
  
"Perry here sir." Replied the Enterprise's operations officer.  
  
"Lieutenant, have you been able to contact Chancellor Martok?" Picard immediately looked at Riker.  
  
"Yes captain, he's waiting for you."  
  
"Thank you, patch him through to the briefing room please." A few seconds later, the Chancellor of the Klingon Empire appeared on the view screen behind Picard. The old Klingon warrior wore a broad grin.  
  
"Captain!" Martok greeted, "I am glad to see you are still in good health considering what has gone on in your Federation these past few days."  
  
"Thank you Chancellor." Picard replied, before returning his attention to Riker.  
  
"And Captain Riker, to what do I owe the pleasure of this communication?" Martok asked.  
  
"Chancellor, you already know the events that have recently taken place in the Federation." Riker said.  
  
"I am aware of them, and the accusations of Picard's betrayal which I assume are nothing more then lies."  
  
"You have assumed correctly Chancellor. I realize that the Klingon Empire does not wish to get involved." Riker paused for breath. "However, we must ask a favour of you... to provide Captain Picard with protection while he seeks refuge in your space."  
  
"Now just a minute Will..." Picard interjected, only to be cut off by the Klingon.  
  
"My people, nor the Klingon Empire have forgotten the role you played in our civil war Captain Picard." Martok continued after checking that he had the captain's attention. "It would be an honour captain, to have your presence here."  
  
"Thank you Chancellor, your generosity..." Picard started, but was again interrupted by Martok.  
  
"Nonsense captain! The Klingon Empire will always stand by it's ally." Martok then turned to Riker next. "I give you my word that no harm will come to Captain Picard under my protection. I will have an escort waiting for him at these coordinates." Martok turned to punch in some data on a nearby console pad, then returned his attention back. "I look forward to seeing you again captain, Martok out." The screen turned black.  
  
"Well, I appreciate you looking out for me Will. But you should know, at this age I'm very capable of taking care of myself." Picard said, somewhat sarcastically but it only amused Riker.  
  
"It was my idea captain." Deanna jumped in, "I would feel better if you had someone looking out for you while we were gone." Picard sighed and gave in again.  
  
"Thank you Deanna." She let out a smile and showed some relief. "But before you go, we need to sort a few things out." Picard continued before anyone could cut in. "When you get to Janeway, I need you to see if she's found anything about Apokalypto." Riker gave him a puzzled look.  
  
"Sir?" Picard then cursed silently to himself when he realized he forgot to tell Riker about it earlier. He then gave Riker a shortened retelling of Q's visit, and his message about Apokalypto. Although Riker was in a bit of disbelief, he promised he would look into it once he returned to Earth.  
  
"And one more thing." Picard continued. "See if you can find out anything about this Captain Lauren Dougherty."  
  
"The one you think is actually leading the Armia Krajowa?" Picard nodded.  
  
"I'll look into it." The two Rikers stood up to leave, but Deanna walked over to Picard to give him a hug.  
  
"Good luck captain, and be careful."

* * *

- January 3rd, 2157 -  
  
Archer never had a chance to celebrate the New Year, in fact he welcomed it by spending a whole week in his office. Reading report after report of constant defeats has not only worn him out but it has also demoralized him. A report from Starfleet Intelligence estimates that Romulans will be walking on Earth, through San Francisco within twelve months at this current rate. Bad news indeed, something must be done to curb the tide.  
  
But now he is resting his eyes, napping, in his chair finally giving in to his exhaustion. Unfortunately for him, the peaceful tranquility would not last as the door bell rang to awaken him.  
  
"Come in." He said automatically before realizing he was still half- asleep. Admiral Forrest walked into the office with a very quick stride and a clearly distressed look plastered on his face. "Admiral?" He said sheepishly.  
  
"Jon, pack you're bags. We're mobilizing the Enterprise." Forrest spoke, a little quickly due to a shortness of breath.  
  
"What for?"  
  
"You're going to Vega." The keyword immediately snapped Archer awake.  
  
"The Romulans?" Forrest nodded.  
  
"We intercepted a transmission two hours ago, they're almost ready."  
  
"Damn, how long do we have?" Archer asked as he moved to contact Trip and the rest of the Enterprise crew still on Earth.  
  
"The attack is happening in ten days. You're going to lead the fleet."  
  
"What?!" Archer turned back to the Admiral, thinking it might have been a joke. But Forrest was dead serious.  
  
"Jon, it's like I've been saying, this is the big one." Forrest said, "We need our best people for this... because the future of humanity is going to depend on the outcome of this one battle."  
  


_To Be Continued..._  



	13. XII: The Vega Offensive

**- TWELVE -  
The Vega Offensive**

* * *

- January 16th, 2157 -  
  
Jonathon Archer was becoming weary, as was the rest of the crew of the Enterprise. The Romulans were three days overdue and maintaining combat-readiness for such a long time is incredibly taxing on both the ship and those who operate it. None of the crew has had a chance to properly rest, fearing the Romulans will strike at any moment. The unexpected delay however has allowed Starfleet to dispatch several more ships to reinforce the fleet, designated Taskforce One.  
  
The captain was reading the intelligence report for the forth time today; just to be sure he didn't miss anything. According to Starfleet Intelligence, the Romulans will attack Vega Sector via the Enyo system, which is where they are stationed at, with an estimated one-hundred-fifty ships.  
  
In response Starfleet has assembled its own force of three-hundred and ten ships, outnumbering the Romulans by a two to one margin. Even with those odds, they're still in a tough position because the Romulan ships outgun their Starfleet counterparts considerably.  
  
Archer sighed unwillingly, as he ran his hand over his face feeling the small beard being grown around his jaw. On the bridge were Travis, Hoshi and Malcolm. Both Trip and T'Pol have retired for the night and Doctor Phlox was most likely still in sickbay triple-checking everything.  
  
"I hate to say it, but I wish they'll get here, either that or give us a call saying they're not coming." Hoshi muttered in annoyance.  
  
"Be careful what you wish for ensign." Malcolm replied, half jokingly. "You might be praying for this peace and quiet before you know it."  
  
"How are our weapons systems Malcolm?" The captain asked, breaking into the conversation.  
  
"Still the same as last time, collecting dust." Archer grinned at the sarcasm from his weapons officer. Just then a light started flashing and blinking for attention on Hoshi's communications console.  
  
"Captain!" Archer turned to her surprised voice. "The Discovery is picking up something on long-ranger sensors." The entire crew became immediately alert.  
  
"Archer to T'Pol and Tucker, report to the bridge!" The captain spoke into the intercom on his chair.  
  
"The Discovery is reporting over a hundred warp signatures approaching fast!"  
  
"Battle stations!" Archer yelled as the lights on the bridge dimmed and the klaxon blared its warning.  
  
"Two hundred warp signatures now!" Hoshi reported, sounding very excited.  
  
"Hull plating polarized." Malcolm said.  
  
"Discovery reports over three hundred warp signatures inbound!" The count just kept ticking up.  
  
"Romulan ships dropping out of warp!" Archer could just barely hear Travis. The view screen showed warp flashes flickering all over the star field in front of Enterprise.  
  
"Damn it! They're swarming in like locusts!" Hoshi yelled, "We're at over four hundred ships and still counting!" Fear crept into Hoshi's voice.  
  
"Travis, get us into position and into formation with the rest of the fleet." Archer ordered as T'Pol and Trip both entered the bridge.  
  
"How bad is it?" Trip asked.  
  
"I think Intel may have miscalculated!" Warp flashes continued to dot the star field in front of the ship.  
  
"Five hundred!" Archer heard Hoshi report, followed by a curse that most likely came from Trip.  
  
"I'm heading down to engineering!" He heard the commander yell, who was long gone by the time the captain turned around to acknowledge him.  
  
"Sir, the fleet is in position and ready to attack." T'Pol yelled. Just then the warp flashes halted, signalling that the last of the Romulan ships have arrived.  
  
"What's the tally?" Archer asked and bracing for the answer he didn't want to hear.  
  
"Six hundred and twenty ships sir." Exactly twice as many ships they had... and more then quadrupled what they had expected. _Damn Intel_. Archer silently cursed.  
  
"Signal the fleet to attack on my order." Archer said while watching the Romulan fleet which was holding its position directly facing Taskforce One.  
  
"Sir." Hoshi interrupted, "Message from the Romulans, audio only." Archer felt a sense of déjà vu.  
  
"Human fleet, your desire to defend yourselves and put up a fight despite facing a superior and invincible opponent is admirable." _Right_. "As such, we are offering you a chance for salvation. Surrender your ships now, and your lives will be spared. We will not offer our mercy again." Archer immediately turned to Hoshi.  
  
"Open a channel to the fleet." She nodded.  
  
"Done." Archer took a deep breath before speaking.  
  
"This is Captain Archer of the Enterprise to Taskforce One." He let a second drift by. "You all know what we have to do. The future of Earth... and humanity is in our hands." He glanced at Malcolm who nodded. "All ships... open fire."

* * *

- January 17th, 2157 -  
  
"More power to the port hull!" Malcolm yelled at the top of his lungs as sparks showered him from above.  
  
"I'm squeezing every last ounce we've got left!" Tucker replied with the same tone of voice from the intercom. The Enterprise ducked and weaved through a mixed array of Romulan and Starfleet vessels, taking fire while dishing out some of it in the process. Captain Archer gripped the armrest of his chair even tighter to prevent being thrown by the violent shakes the ship is enduring.  
  
"Sir! The Magellan's been destroyed! The left flank is collapsing!" Hoshi reported from the comm station.  
  
"Hull breach on deck five. Sickbay is reporting heavy casualties." This time it was T'Pol. The bridge rocked hard again. Enterprise, accompanied by three other allies covering its flanks fired both its phase cannons on a passing Romulan warbird, and unleashing a pair of photonic torpedoes at close range producing a spectacular explosion as the warbird died a fiery death.  
  
"We got another one!" Travis celebrated, but was cut short when one of Enterprise's escorts fell prey to another Romulan warbird.  
  
"Damn! Order the Pathfinder and its group to reinforce the left flank!" Archer barked. The Enterprise took yet another hit, leaving behind a hole on her hull that bled a trail of plasma. The battle has been ongoing for nearly six hours and both the ship and the fleet it commanded were being hammered, but the Romulans showed no signs of relenting.  
  
"Secondary power is failing!"  
  
"And we're out of torpedoes" Malcolm added. There was little Archer could do, but to sit and watch the fight spiral out of his control.  
  
Outside, the battle raged on with ships from both sides burning and flaring in loud, painful deaths. Streaks of orange, red and green energy flew back and forth against the black canvass of space. Although the ships of Taskforce One were doing a formidable job of holding back a superior enemy, the vastness of the Romulan fleet was beginning to show.  
  
The bridge of the Enterprise was filled with arid smoke and sparks. Wounded crew members struggled back to their stations. Archer coughed and wheezed as his lungs fought for fresh air. He's been in this situation once too many times. Another of Enterprise's escorts falls, exploding in front of the flagship and sending hundreds of pieces of debris scattering in all directions. Travis' quick hands saved the vessel from a direct collision with the burning hulk but wasn't fast enough to avoid a slight scrape.  
  
"Captain!" Hoshi yelled, trying to get his attention. "The right flank has collapsed and Pathfinder has suffered critical damage, she can't hold out!"  
  
"T'Pol! What's the status of the Romulans?" Archer needed some idea of how much damage they've managed to inflict on their enemies.  
  
"Sensors detect over four hundred Romulan vessels still active." T'Pol shouted amidst the sparks and small explosions in the darkened room.  
  
"Taskforce One?" T'Pol had already expected the follow-up question.  
  
"Eighty surviving Starfleet vessels." At this rate, there won't be any survivors at all. Archer blinked his eyes hard to squeeze out the tears forming because of the smoke. _We can't win this_. The last of Enterprise's escorts exploded, leaving the flagship all by itself completely surrounded.  
  
"Hull polarization has failed!" Archer wasn't entirely sure who it was that said that, but he didn't have time to think about it as a jolt tossed him from his chair. The view screen showed countless Romulans pounding on the beleaguered starship.  
  
"Captain..." T'Pol said somewhere amidst the smoke, "Sensors are picking up more incoming ships..." There was a pause as Archer waited for the conclusion of that sentence while climbing slowly back into his chair. "Romulans."  
  
The Enterprise continued its dance with its attackers, although she was outnumbered and could only manage to avoid so much of the lethal energy bolts being spluttered at her. In the background, the rest of the supporting cast of Taskforce One were steadily being wiped out from existence as more green ships arrived via warp.  
  
"Hoshi..." Archer coughed out, "Signal a general retreat to the fleet... get everyone out of here." It was a routine he was all too familiar with. Before he could issue his next command, a volley of energy blast struck an energy transfer conduit, creating a massive explosion that ripped nearly a third of the Enterprise's saucer section out into space. The jagged edges of the torn saucer grew bright red from the heat of the blast, and the Enterprise started losing control despite Travis' best efforts.  
  
"Warp core breach immanent!" The obvious statement came from Trip in engineering. Another hit, this time it was the starboard nacelle that was the victim, half of it was shattered into countless fragments as the attack knocked the Enterprise into a death spiral. The fire and leaking plasma created dozens of short, colourful trails behind the ship, before being quickly snuffed out by the coldness of space.  
  
Archer looked around the bridge once more, everything was dead. Consoles flashed and blinked but were inoperative, the rest of the bridge staff tried to continue working. Their courage and bravery were inspirational but in vain, and even though it was against every fibre of his being, Archer knew what he had to do next as he reached for the intercom button on his armrest.  
  
"This is Captain Archer..." He voice sounded hoarse, "All hands... abandon ship." He felt strange saying those words. "I repeat... all hands, abandon ship." The bridge staff stared at him for two full seconds before the words sank in and they jumped into action, quickly filing out of the battered room. After ensuring that everyone was evacuated off the bridge, Archer made his way to the waiting turbo-lift. As he stepped into the small canister-shaped elevator that would take him to an escape pod, something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. Archer turned in time to see on the view screen where they were no less then a dozen Romulan warbirds bearing down on the ship.  
  
_Oh... damn_. The warbirds showed no mercy, letting loose a wall of green fire that rapidly consumed the dying Starfleet flagship. In seconds the Enterprise was engulfed in a brilliant mixture of green and red fire creating a chain of explosions, which faded just as fast, leaving behind nothing but a field of twisted metal and debris floating in the emptiness of the void.

_To Be Continued..._**  
**


	14. XIII: Reunions

**- THIRTEEN -  
Reunions**  


* * *

- December 11th, 2380 -  
  
Doctor Julian Bashir casually worked the controls to the runabout, expertly and slowly piloting the small craft towards the ex-Cardassian space station orbiting high above the planet Bajor. Bashir had spent the last several weeks away in the Gamma Quadrant, volunteering himself to conduct a medical inspection of an industrial planet struggling with major global pollution when a summons arrived for him to return home immediately.  
  
"Approaching runabout, please identify yourself and transmit your security clearance code." A voice rang out from the speakers in the cockpit. _Security clearance? That's unusual_.  
  
"Deep Space Nine, this is Doctor Julian Bashir on the runabout St. Lawrence returning from the Gamma Quadrant. Security code Bashir Zeta Nine- Five-Zero." Several seconds passed before the response came.  
  
"Welcome back Doctor. You're cleared for Docking Pad 15."  
  
"Thank you Deep Space Nine." Then he continued before the line could be cut, "What's with all the security?" Again, it took a few seconds for the reply.  
  
"I'm sorry sir; I cannot discuss that over an open channel. Commander Kira will brief you when you dock. Deep Space Nine out." Bashir sighed, and looked outside as the runabout cruised past a docked Defiant and then promptly returned his attention to landing his own ship safely.  
  
Several minutes later, Bashir was strolling off the lift and into Ops, the control center of the entire space station. Kira was already waiting for him, and beckoned him towards her office.  
  
"Welcome back Julian, how was the trip?" She greeted him as soon as he stepped into her office. Lieutenant Erzi Dax was already there.  
  
"Could've been worst." He replied as everyone took their seats. Erzi and Bashir both exchanged glances but didn't say anything.  
  
"Sorry we had to pull you out of there so suddenly." Kira apologized as she got comfortable in her chair and pressed a few buttons on her desk.  
  
"Can't say it wasn't unexpected." Bashir answered, "Have things gotten that bad?" He asked the rhetorical question.  
  
"It is Julian." Bashir turned to the source of the new voice, it was from the view screen off to one side of the office, and on that view screen was Miles O'Brien.  
  
"Miles!" Sounded a surprise Bashir.  
  
"Great to see you too." O'Brien looked at Erzi, "Any plans for kids yet?" He said with a wink. The couple have been married for three years.  
  
"You're in more of a hurry then I am!" O'Brien let out a laugh, which made everyone in the room smile.  
  
"You haven't changed a bit Julian."  
  
"Thanks." Bashir replied, but then decided it was time to turn to the matters at hand. "So, what's this call about?"  
  
"It's finally happened Julian... the Federation's at war."  
  
"Civil war?" O'Brien nodded, and Kira, Bashir and Erzi all exchanged looks.  
  
"Starfleet Command asked me to speak to you on their behalf. Kira, how's Bajor handling this?" O'Brien asked. Normally a diplomat from the planet would represent them in the Federation Council. However, Bajor has just recently joined and not all of the official paper work has been completed yet. Thus Bajor has yet to send a representative to Earth.  
  
"Bajor's official stance is with the Federation. We're standing behind you a hundred percent of the way." Kira summed up.  
  
"But..." O'Brien knew she was hiding something as they've known each other too long. In another time she would've been amused but she sighed.  
  
"It's not concrete." O'Brien frowned. "They're worried about a military engagement. The Bajorian government doesn't want to get dragged into a war the instant it joins the Federation, especially if it's an internal conflict."  
  
"So, if the Armia Krajowa happens to show up at Deep Space Nine with a fleet..."  
  
"Then I don't know what will happen. But it's more then likely that Bajor will withdraw its support of the Federation." Kira finished off the sentence for O'Brien, who nodded.  
  
"I don't blame them, or you."  
  
"I'm sorry." Kira said apologetically.  
  
"Don't be."  
  
"What do we do now?" Erzi finally spoke, breaking her silence in the conversation.  
  
"Admiral Janeway wants you to sit tight for now. We're still not entirely sure what the Armia Krajowa is up to, or what they plan to do. So stay on the alert because we don't know if they'll show up there or not." No one in the room liked the sound of that.  
  
"Anything else?" Bashir prodded his friend to continue.  
  
"Yes. Be prepared to deploy the Defiant at any time, if they decide to attack we may need every available ship to fend them off."  
  
"How many have defected so far?" Erzi inquired.  
  
"I can't tell you. Hell they haven't even told me yet, they're being very secretive about that. It's highly classified, but I guess they don't want to put any more of a damper on moral around here. It's already low enough as it is." Everyone became quiet. "Look, I've got to go. Things are starting to get hectic around here, I'll keep you all posted."  
  
"Be careful Miles, and good luck." Bashir said. O'Brien nodded his thanks before ending the conversation.  
  
"You too."

* * *

- December 15th, 2380 -  
  
The U.S.S. Titan was safely stowed away in Space-dock orbiting high above Earth. Inside her crew were buzzing about busily repairing all the damage the starship has recently suffered while crews from the station assisted with their task. The word was out, the Federation was at war with itself and the probability of an armed conflict has never been higher. So the Titan's crew rushed to get her back in shape in case a fight broke out, because Starfleet will need every ship it can get.  
  
However Captain William Riker was not able to stay onboard and oversee the repairs, as he and Commander Deanna Riker materialized on a transporter pad in the heart of Starfleet Command. The two were greeted by an ensign who escorted the pair through a series of maze-like corridors before arriving at a set of double-doors marked as the entry to a conference room. The young officer gestured the two to enter, and when they did they were welcomed by Admiral Janeway and a host of other Starfleet personnel.  
  
"Captain, glad to see you made it back in one piece." Admiral Janeway said as she stood up to greet them.  
  
"Thank you, although it was a bit of a close call." He replied.  
  
"Please, have a seat." The admiral gestured the two to sit down as she introduced everyone else in the room. "I believe you already know Lieutenants Harry Kim, Tom Paris and B'Elanna Torres."  
  
"Your crew from Voyager?" Deanna asked and the admiral nodded.  
  
"I've called you all here for an update on the crisis." Janeway started immediately, jumping to the point right away. "Since the Armia Krajowa's declaration of war on the Federation six days ago, we've lost contact with over a hundred of our ships." She paused before continuing, "That's not the only bad news, since then over a dozen planets have also ceded their membership, and support, from the Federation."  
  
"What's the council doing?" Paris asked.  
  
"They're... not reacting well." Janeway sighed, "They've ordered Starfleet to recall every ship we can back to Earth immediately. And anyone showing any signs of defection are to be arrested."  
  
"They're panicking." Riker himself didn't mince words.  
  
"Any idea what the Armia Krajowa's planning?" This time it was Harry Kim who asked the question.  
  
"Nothing solid yet. There have been rumours that they're amassing a fleet. We just don't know where."  
  
"And they're most likely going to head for Earth." Again Riker jumped to the conclusion and Janeway nodded in agreement.  
  
"That's also why we're bringing back as many ships as we can, in case they do decide to attack here. But we're also leaving as many as we can deployed throughout Federation space if they attack somewhere else." Janeway said in a serious tone.  
  
"With all the ships that's defecting, we're stretched extremely thin as it is." Torres said, stating a point that's becoming more obvious by the minute.  
  
"That's why I've brought you here." Janeway said as she looked at her former crew. "I'm re-commissioning Voyager." Paris, Torres and Kim were more then a little surprised.  
  
"But she's been sitting in a museum for three years!" Kim objected.  
  
"We don't have a choice." Janeway cut in, "I need you all to get her ready for combat again as quickly as possible." She said, referring to the three. After a few seconds of exchanging looks, they nodded their support.  
  
"You can count on us admiral." Torres said firmly, bringing a smile to Janeway.  
  
"I know. I have to speak with Captain Riker privately; I'll catch up with you later. Dismissed." The three nodded again, stood up and left the room quickly, leaving just Janeway, and the two Rikers behind. The admiral cut right to the chase.  
  
"How's Jean-Luc?" She asked, sounding a bit concerned.  
  
"He's holding up, we've stowed him somewhere safe for the time being." Riker didn't volunteer the location, nor did Janeway ask since she knew it was best if the knowledge didn't get spread around. But she was still relieved.  
  
"Good. I've dug up something on this Apokalypto he mentioned." She pulled out a data chip from her pocket. "It took a lot of arm twisting and about two dozen of our best techs to get this." She handed the chip to Riker. "There used to be a file on Apokalypto but it was erased long ago. I was able to recover a set of spatial coordinates that points to somewhere well outside of the Federation, in uncharted space."  
  
"Nothing else?" Janeway shook her head.  
  
"That's all I was able to recover, just barely. Whoever wiped it out did a damned good job, just not good enough. But whatever it is, they certainly didn't want anyone else knowing about it." Riker nodded as he pocketed the chip. "Unfortunately I can't spare the Titan to investigate those coordinates." Riker already knew where she was going.  
  
"I'll get it to Captain Picard. He can check it out with Enterprise." He finished for her.  
  
"I've had it for a few days but I couldn't transmit the information under these circumstances, and I suggest you don't either." Riker nodded in agreement. "You'll have to find a way to get it to Jean-Luc somehow."  
  
"Don't worry, I'll find a way." He replied confidently, giving the admiral some reassurance. "Oh, and one more thing. I've been told that the real leader behind the Armia Krajowa is a certain Captain Lauren Dougherty but a search through my ship's database turned up nothing." Janeway frowned slightly at the prospect of having to spend more time prodding around Starfleet's massive archives.  
  
"You have to tell him to stop giving me bits of vague information." She said half-jokingly, Riker smiled upon picking up the sarcasm.  
  
"I'll let him know. Now if you'll excuse me admiral, I have a package to deliver."  
  
"Good luck then captain." She said as they got up to leave. "I have a feeling our entire future may rest on that data chip."

* * *

- December 17th, 2380 -  
  
"Captain, we're arriving at the Klingon border." Lieutenant Kimberly Perry reported from her console at the front of the bridge. _Finally_. Picard stood up from his chair, as did Commander Madden beside him, and gave his shirt a pull. The Enterprise had to avoid all the major routes so as to not encounter any Federation or Armia Krajowa ships along the way. As a result they were forced to take a number of back roads and the trip took much longer then usual.  
  
"Very well. Disengage the warp engines." The Enterprise promptly dropped out of warp and back into sub-light speeds. The view screen showed an empty star-field. Picard turned back to the operations officer.  
  
"Are we at the correct coordinates Ms. Perry?" She checked her console for a few seconds before confirming that they are. _Where are these escorts that Martok promised us?_ It only took a few moments before Picard's answer arrived in the form of three de-cloaking Klingon warships directly facing his ship. On the view screen, Picard could clearly identify a Vor'Cha class cruiser flanked by two smaller Birds-of-Preys.  
  
"Sir, they're hailing us." Perry against spoke as she turned to face her captain. Picard nodded his acknowledgement as she swivelled back to her console. The view screen flickered changing the view to show, to Picard's astonishment, Lieutenant-Commander Worf. 

_To Be Continued..._


	15. XIV: Sowing the Seeds

**- FOURTEEN -  
Sowing the Seeds**  


* * *

- February 7th, 2157 -  
  
It was almost as if everything was a dream. The haunting images of the battle, with his crew lying dead before him flashed through his mind for the umpteenth time, explosions and screams of people overwhelmed his senses and a cloud of smoke further fogged his mind. He yelled, waving his arms widely trying to escape this hell. He tried to run but none of his limbs seemed to respond properly, with every action in slow motion as his lungs grasped for air. The darkness seemed to finally consume him no matter how hard he fought; going under for the last time... when all of a sudden he jolted awake.  
  
Jonathon Archer sat upright in the bed, gasping for air and soaked in his own sweat. He looked around trying to get his bearings but his eyes were murky and difficult to focus. A blinking red light flashed next to him as he tried to force his eyes to work, but to no avail. Less then a minute later someone walked into the room, although he couldn't identify him.  
  
"Captain, I see you're finally awake." Archer squinted his eyes. "Just relax captain; you've been out for awhile. I'm Doctor Peterson, and you're in Starfleet Medical." He felt a bit more relieved. The doctor walked over and begun a thorough check.  
  
"How long have I been out doc?" Archer managed to splutter out, although speaking wasn't easy either.  
  
"About three weeks, you were in sort of a semi-coma." The doctor finished his check-up. "Everything seems to be normal; looks like you got lucky captain." Archer tried to move off the bed but was stopped by a shot of pain in his spine. "Take it easy. You'll need to give yourself a little time to re-adjust; we're going to have to put you in rehab for a few days." Archer groaned at the thought of that.  
  
"Those are doctor's orders Jon and I expect you to follow them." Archer lifted his head at the new voice. Admiral Forrest stood in the doorway to the room but the most welcoming sight was of Porthos running towards him and jumping onto his bed. Archer smiled as he pet his old friend.  
  
"Hey, hey buddy." He said as Porthos jumped up to lick his face.  
  
"Welcome back Jon." Forrest said as he approached.  
  
"What happened to my crew?" Archer didn't waste any time to address his primary concern.  
  
"Don't worry, they all got out." Archer let out a sigh of relieve again. "The Enterprise didn't make it."  
  
"I'm sorry." Archer apologized but the admiral quickly waved it off.  
  
"No need Jon, it wasn't your fault. The important thing is that you got out in one piece, although you were real lucky in that department. A nearby ship was able to beam you out just as Enterprise fell apart." Archer hated the thought of losing his ship but there was nothing he could do now.  
  
"How many survived?" It wasn't something he really wanted to know.  
  
"Just over 80% casualties Jon." Forrest said with a sigh, "Only sixty ships made it out." _Out of three-hundred and ten_. Archer was silent. "Doc, how long before the captain can get back to work?" The admiral said, turning to the medical officer waiting patiently.  
  
"A few days at least, probably a week or so." Forrest nodded.  
  
"Alright Jon. I hate to do it but we have to put you back to work as soon as possible. We've got something coming up and we're going to need your help with it." Archer nodded but stayed silent. "Okay. I'll brief you when you're ready. Get better, and I'll see you in a few days."

* * *

- December 31st, 2380 -  
  
The U.S.S. Enterprise-E quietly orbited a silent but beautiful greenish planet deep within Klingon space. Flanking her sides were a Vor'Cha cruiser and a pair of Birds-of-Preys on guard duty. Most of the Enterprise's systems were powered down, and have been for the last week or so both for the purpose of avoiding detection and to speed up repairs on the battered ship.  
  
Captain Picard took a brief opportunity to catch up with Worf. The Klingon Starfleet officer has enjoyed his post as a Federation ambassador to the empire but made no hesitation when the chancellor asked him to aid his old captain. Worf is highly concerned about the situation and the impending war within the Federation but is not sure what he can do himself, and therefore will just have to be content with doing whatever he can for now, including protecting the Enterprise from the Armia Krajowa.  
  
Unfortunately as a captain, there was not much Picard could do as his crew worked round the clock to get the ship back in shape again. While he has plenty of technical expertise, it was better left to the real experts in his crew to do the job while he oversees the repairs and ensure that everything gets done on a timely manner. So as a result, Picard sat alone in his quarters, reading through a stack of reports on the status of the various departments of his ship. He didn't exactly like the prospect of ushering in the New Year by reading reports and hiding in Klingon space, but he had no other choice and he was sure moral on the rest of the ship has taken a hit too.  
  
"Bridge to Captain Picard." Lieutenant Kim Perry's voice jolted him back to reality.  
  
"Picard here." He quickly said, reading all those reports had put him in a sort of trance.  
  
"Sir, a Federation probe just de-cloaked off our starboard bow a few seconds ago." Picard thought for a second as this was something entirely unexpected, but he is getting used to it by this point. "It's transmitting a friendly signal... as well as Captain Riker's ID code." That definitely got his attention.  
  
"Thank you Lieutenant, I'll be there in a minute." He said as he stood up and quickly walked out of his quarters. Two minutes later, the captain was exiting the lift and onto his bridge. Commander Madden emerged from the second turbo-lift almost at the exact same time as both made their way to their chairs located in the middle of the room.  
  
"Sir, the probe is hailing us." Perry reported and Picard gave her the go-ahead. Riker's face appeared on the view screen.  
  
"Jean-Luc, sorry if I startled you. But the admiral managed to scrounge something up that you should know, and I didn't dare send it over subspace. Everything you need to know is stored in the probe, Geordi will know what to do. Sorry I couldn't be out there myself, but the situation's really grown worst and we think the Armia Krajowa may attack any day now so the admiral's kept as many ships as she can around Earth. Oh, and I know what you're thinking, don't ask about the cloak. Jean-Luc, good luck... we're both going to need it." Riker's face disappeared again.  
  
"That was a recording." Perry stated. Picard thought for a few seconds again before acting.  
  
"Mr. Munroe, please tractor in the probe and contact Commander LaForge to start working on it immediately. Set everything else aside, this is our top priority now." Alex Munroe acknowledged and set to work. _Will, whatever you've got for me, I hope its damned good_.

* * *

- February 16th, 2157 -  
  
Captain Jonathan Archer found himself back in a familiar setting once again, sitting besides Admiral Forrest in the main senate chamber of the World Government. The only difference was that there was a much larger contingent of Starfleet officers accompanying them this time. He had spent just a day shy of a week recovering at the hospital before he demanded to be put back to work although he now regrets that decision somewhat.  
  
The last couple of days were spent with Admiral Forrest plus several other high-profile Starfleet officers being briefed on their plan to save Earth and humanity. At first their idea shocked him and he was adamantly opposed to such a ridiculous proposition. But over a period of several days they were able to convince him enough to accept it although he still didn't like it too much. After garnering his support, albeit reluctantly, the admiral called for an emergency session with the World Government.  
  
"The senate is now in session." The President started, causing a hush to fall over the crowded room. "Admiral Forrest of Starfleet has called this emergency session." He said as he turned to face the group of Starfleet officers on one side, "Admiral, the floor is yours." Forrest cleared his throat and rose from his seat to address the mass of politicians.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen." He begins, "As you are all aware, we suffered a considerable setback in the Vega Sector a month ago." He paused as he braced to deliver the real bad news. "As a result, our intelligence estimates that Romulans will be walking on this planet in three months." This got the senators to start mumbling amongst themselves, and Forrest had to wait for them to quiet back down before continuing. "The situation is growing desperate and everyday we're loosing more ground to our enemy. This is partly due to the fact that they have more powerful ships then we do, and partly due to the inadequacies of our chain-of-command."  
  
"Are you saying we're going to loose this war?!" A senator yelled out. Forrest did not reply, only stopping briefly as the President hammered his gravel to re-establish authority.  
  
"The Romulans were fully prepared for a conflict, we were not." Forrest said boldly, again garnering some unwanted comments. "The fact of the matter is this; our system is too muddled by politics and bureaucracy. While our enemy plots their next move, we're left sitting here bickering amongst ourselves and being stuck in indecision." A few did not appreciate the truth.  
  
"Just what are you saying Admiral?" One senator yelled tauntingly as others jeered.  
  
"I'm saying," He shot back, "That this government is too inefficient and ineffective to defend humanity from a cold-hearted opponent like the Romulans." The entire senate immediately threw itself into an uproar.  
  
"Who on earth put such a pessimist in charge?!" Was among one of the insults that was hurled at the admiral. Regardless Forrest stood his ground and deflected the personal attacks.  
  
"We must establish a new authority, one who can arrive at a decision without hesitation! One who can response quickly to new threats and adapt rapidly to new situations! One who is not lethargic and bogged down by politics and personal egos!" Forrest had decided to throw all caution out the window as the senators turned to squabble between themselves, proving the admiral's point for all to see. The President desperately tried to re- establish order which was more then difficult.  
  
"Admiral Forrest, just exactly what are you proposing?" The President asked when things finally quieted down to a level in which he could be heard. Forrest and Archer exchanged glances briefly before the admiral took a deep breath to speak again, somewhat hesitantly.  
  
"Mr. President. Today I stand before you and the senate, and ask the World Government to hand over all power and authority... to us."

* * *

- January 1st, 2381 -  
  
"Report." Jehovah ordered the holographic image in the center of the room to speak.  
  
"Sir, the Enterprise received a data pod from Captain William Riker yesterday." The figure replied.  
  
"Do you know what it contains?" Jehovah prodded further.  
  
"I am sorry sir but I do not, other then that it's some sort of data. However, they are in the process of deciphering it and that should be completed in a few hours time." There was a silent pause as another slab turned to address the one in charge.  
  
"Jehovah, this could be it." The voice emphasised, "Picard must not be allowed to get his hands on that information. We must act now!"  
  
"Calm yourself Peter." Jehovah returned its attention to the hologram. "You know what to do next agent, you must ensure that Picard does not get his hands on that data. Go to it." The holographic figure nodded and disappeared as Jehovah turned to face another of the twelve. "Philip, contact the Amethyst... and signal the attack." 

_To Be Continued..._


	16. XV: The Incursion

**- FIFTEEN -  
The Incursion  
**

* * *

- February 16th, 2157 - 

The entire senate chamber was thrown into frenzy, politicians bickered amongst themselves or shouted insults and their objections towards the group of Starfleet officers. A stunned President stood quietly as he considered what had just happened. Jonathon Archer didn't react. After what seemed like an eternity the President was able to restore order and the room quieted down again.

"Admiral, do you realize what you are proposing?"

"Yes I do." Forrest replied firmly and without hesitation.

"This global democratic institution has been in place for forty-four years... what you're asking us to do... is almost unimaginable."

"But, we must do whatever can to preserve this institution in the face of defeat. I am no asking you to forfeit your authority; only that you loan it to us for the duration of the war."

"No one person can have total authority!" One senator yelled from high in the chamber, "If history has taught us anything, it is that absolute power corrupts absolutely." A small round of applause broke out.

"And you would be correct Senator." Forrest echoed, "However I would not ask you to do that. We have drawn up a plan, to create a council that would make all the decisions. So that the authority in which you hand down to us, if you choose to do so, would not be abused by a single person."

"History is not on your side admiral. A many infamous dictators were created this way." Said another senator, causing Forrest to let out a small sigh. Archer then decided it was his turn as he stood up.

"I know history is not on our side Senator, but our history will mean nothing if the Romulans win and humanity is destroyed." He spoke loudly, surprising a few in the room including the admiral himself.

"The floor has not been handed to you Captain Archer." The President replied harshly, sounding very irritated at the breach of protocol.

"Captain Archer has put his life on the line on numerous occasions for Earth. If anyone deserves to be heard, it is him." Forrest quickly went on the defensive for the captain, and the President relented, gesturing for him to continue.

"Thank you admiral, Mr. President." Archer said with a nod, "Senators, I understand your reluctance and scepticism to our idea. When Admiral Forrest first explained it to me, I was strongly opposed to it myself." He said as he looked through the crowd, "But I came to the realization that we if are to survive as a race, and have our way of life preserved then this is something we may have to do. I have faced the Romulans in battle countless times; I have watched men and women die. The Romulans are heartless, cold and will show no mercy. They kill without thought or hesitation and when they arrive on Earth they will not accept surrender from us." He paused for a second for breath and to allow what he has spoken to sink in. "Our current chain-of-command has shown, over the past year, that it is ineffective in dealing with such an enemy. And if it continues at this pace, then the Romulans will be at our doorstep before we know it. Senators, desperate situations calls for desperate measures. I can only ask that you trust us because our only interest is protecting humanity, not glory or power... our future rests in your hands." Archer took another look before sitting down, but was shocked when a few claps rang out from the chamber.

"Well done Jon, you could be a politician." Forrest whispered to him. Jon let out a partial grin.

"Don't even joke about that... I'm just trying to help out." The President then retook control as he stood up to speak.

"Thank you gentlemen..." He started, and paused to look around the room, noticing all the senators still debating on the controversial topic at hand. "Well I don't think we're going to come to a decision today." Archer caught the irony and laughed inside. "We will adjourn the senate... and vote tomorrow."

* * *

- January 1st, 2381 - 

"There sir, there it is again." The ensign pointed out to Commander Geordi LaForge on the display screen.

"Yea, yea I see it." He noted the fluctuations in the power flow to the ship's shields. "Better take a look at that." He proceeded to work the console quickly, running a series of diagnostics and tests in an attempt to locate the source and reason for the problem. Just as he was starting to isolate the root of the fluctuations, the blare of the red alert klaxon startled him and everyone around him quickly jumped into action. On the bridge Captain Picard emerged from his Ready Room and took his position as he stared at the ship on the view screen.

"Where did that ship come from?" Picard asked.

"I don't know sir! It just de-cloaked directly in front of us." Lieutenant Perry replied.

"Can you identify it?" Perry spent a brief second working her console before answering.

"Negative sir, it's a Steamrunner-class but the ship isn't in Starfleet registry."

"Captain, she's approaching on full-impulse, entering weapons-range in thirty-seconds." Munroe cut in from the tactical console next to Perry. "Her weapons and shields are powered down." He added.

"Sir, Commander Worf on the line, audio only." Perry said next.

"Captain, we cannot identify the vessel, nor are they responding to our hails."

"Be ready for anything Mr. Worf."

"Yes captain, our ships are ready to open fire on your command." Worf replied. Picard was glad to have him around again.

"Entering weapons range in fifteen-seconds." Munroe updated.

"Power up the phasers and load the torpedoes. I want all weapons targeted on that ship." Madden ordered, deciding it was better not to take any chances. On the view screen the two Birds of Preys moved off from Enterprise's flanks towards the lone vessel. The two Klingon ships then took positions behind the Streamrunner as Worf's Vor'Cha stood guard over the Enterprise.

"Sir, target vessel has entered weapons range." Munroe updated again, Picard continued staring at the view screen.

"Hold your fire Mr. Munroe." Picard muttered, just then the bridge's lights flickered for several seconds.

"Sir! Our shields just went down!" Munroe shouted in surprise. Picard immediately pressed a button on the armrest of his chair.

"Mr. LaForge, report!" Geordi's voice replied quickly.

"I don't know sir, some sort of fluctuations interrupting the power feed to the shields. I think I may be able to locate..." But he was cut off by Lieutenant Perry's voice from the front of the bridge.

"Captain, look!" She said, pointing to the view screen. Picard returned his attention just in time to watch the Steamrunner activate a series of ablative armour generators. A number of pearl-white scales materialized out of thin-air, encasing the entire hull of the unidentified ship.

"Damn!" Picard cursed, but he had no time to ponder on the new development as his mind raced into action. "Mr. Munroe and Mr. Worf, open fire on that ship!" The Enterprise, along with her Klingon escorts sprung into the fight, unleashing a deadly rain of fire on the lone ship. However the ablative armour simply shrugged off the attempts at wounding her. But the situation went from bad to worst as the Enterprise bridge lights and consoles flickers into and out of life a second time. LaForge's voice sounded again over the intercom, this time with even more concern in his voice then before.

"Captain, we've got more problems!" _Great_. "Primary and secondary power is failing, activating auxilery and emergency power now." Picard knew exactly where this was going.

"What do we have left?" Picard fired the rhetorical question.

"No shields, no warp or impulse, no weapons, no transport..." But once again the chief engineer was interrupted.

"Intruder alert! Enemy boarding party on deck twenty!" Munroe shouted again, without shields the Enterprise was helpless to stop them from beaming aboard.

"Mr. Munroe, deploy Elite Force." Picard replied, Munroe nodded and ran off the bridge as another officer quickly rushed in to take his station. "Mr. LaForge, I need you to get my ship running again!" The Enterprise slowly turned to distance itself from the mysterious attacker as the Klingons ships plummetted it with disruptor and torpedoe fire that only made small dents on the opposing ship. The vessel simply veered around trying to avoid the fire since the ablative armour covered all its phaser arrays.

"Our weapons are ineffective." Worf's voice came over the speakers.

"Ms. Perry! Find a way to get through that armour!" Picard ordered. Meanwhile, several decks below Alex Munroe ran into Elite Force's armoury where members of the team were already busy strapping on their equipment and checking their weapons. Telsia tossed a phaser rifle which he caught easily; and quickly put his equipment on and ran out the door with the rest of the force.

"Munroe to bridge, where are the intruders?" He said into this comm- badge.

"They've made their way to deck-seventeen! Security forces are temporarily holding them in place but they won't be able to for much longer." Came the response. Munroe then led Elite Force through a short maze of Jefferies Tubes and crawl-spaces so they can come up behind the intruders and hopefully surround them. Munroe emerged from a panel in the wall as the sounds of phaser blasts echoed from just down the hall.

"Let's go people." He signalled his team as he cautiously but quickly moved towards the battle. In front of him where about two dozen humans clad in full black-outfits and toting Federation phaser rifles, Munroe also saw the comm-badges pinned to their chests but did not recognize the insignia it represented. The intruders were taking cover behind some bulkheads, and beyond were a large group of Enterprise's own security forces. The corridor was dark save for the pulsating glow of the red alert indicators and the flashes of light generated by the phaser fire. Monroe noted that the Enterprise's security forces was holding the fort, pinning the invaders and preventing them from advancing although it was evident that won't be the case for much longer. Now it was Elite Force's turn to show whats it is capable of.

"Clear shot! Weapons are free!" Munroe said as he lifted his rifle and squeezed off a few shots from behind some bulkheads. The rest of Elite Force followed, as the first volley took down six of the invading attackers but in doing so, it also alerted the enemy to their presence. Munroe quickly ducked back below the bulkhead as the return fire just missed him.

"Chell!" He let out as he watched the Bolian officer take a shot in the shoulders and fall down. Juliet Jurot, Elite Force's medic quickly rushed to his aid.

"He's okay! We'll get him to sickbay!" Jurot gestured to several fellow officers as they dragged the injured Bolian away. Munroe returned his attention to the attackers as another phaser blast struck the walls above him showering him with sparks. Austin Chang, another member of Elite Force rose from behind his cover and fired off a pair of shots, and Munroe followed suit. The two managed to take down another pair of the attackers. Munroe took aim at another target and squeezed the trigger. The phaser blast struck its target but this time, to Munroe's shock, a green shield materialized in front of the targeted soldier and absorbed the deadly energy.

"What the hell!" Chang let out a surprised yelp, but they have both seen it before and knew exactly what it was. Adaptive Borg shielding.

* * *

- February 17th, 2157 - 

Jonathon Archer didn't sleep all night, he couldn't. But from the looks of Admiral Forrest and the other Starfleet officers, including Commodore Shields it doesn't look like anyone else got a proper night's rest. So Archer again sat in the same seat as yesterday in the senate chamber running on nothing but the caffeine from all coffee he has consumed in the last two hours.

"After much deliberation, it is time for you Senators, to cast your vote. Today, we will decide the fate of this government. Do we, or do we not hand over our authority to Starfleet for the duration of the Romulan War? Senators, cast your votes now." The President said as the rest of the politicians got to work. Although it was just rumours, Archer has heard from many that the debate over this issue amongst the senators were long, bitter and divided giving him some hope that their plans may come to fruition. A tone sounded at the completion of the voting process, Archer took a deep breath and hesitantly shifted his eyes towards the large screens hanging high in the center of the room displaying the results as the President cleared his throat and started speaking.

"Then so be it. The people of Earth have spoken..."

_To Be Continued..._


End file.
